As MHCC student Nikki Morgan walked into the Town and Gown Room Tuesday, looking at all the cots and nurses that filled the room, she was unsure of what to expect because it was her first time donating blood.

After she donated her pint, she became lightheaded and had to lie down with her feet elevated. She wasn’t expecting to become so lightheaded. Nevertheless, she went through with it. “I just wanted to.”

Morgan was one of 49 people who gave at the MHCC Blood Drive Tuesday, a quarterly event organized by the student government and the Red Cross.

In order to give blood, donors must meet certain health criteria and must be in good physical health at the time.

“We don’t want to give sick blood to a sick person,” said nurse Jodi Schlosser. After a donor’s iron levels, blood pressure and temperature are taken, they sit in one of the cots and a nurse or doctor staffing searches for a good vein. “A lot of things factor into it,” said Schlosser. “Whenever you donate blood you want to be really well hydrated a day or two ahead of time; coffee, soda, that dehydrates you.”

In addition to being well hydrated, proper nutrition is an important issue. “A lot of kids come in and they haven’t had breakfast,” said Schlosser. “First one drops, then they all start dropping.”

It is safe to say that veteran donor Joe Fischer, associate vice president for student life, was well prepared to donate. “I’ve been giving blood since I was 21,” said Fischer. He donates whenever he can. “I’m one of the regulars. I walk in and walk out. It’s pretty routine.” He also is an apheresis donor, donating white blood cells and platelets.

“I guess it’s just the right thing to do,” he said. “Blood supply is more and more precarious. And so if you’ve got safe blood, it’s one of those civic responsibilities.” Fischer understands that some people may be afraid to donate, but offers encouragement, saying, “Give it a try. The people who do this are used to working with people who have concerns about needles or who are concerned about the process. Do it once, and if it works for you, great. If it doesn’t, then you’ll know.”

It seems to have worked for student Jessica Godfrey. “It’s my fifth time,” she said. Godfrey has donated in past MHCC blood drives and at local hospitals. Unlike Morgan, she actually gains energy after donating. “I actually get to be in a really jumpy, hyper mood,” she said. Her reasons for donating are for “a family member,” but she is also doing it for the tsunami victims in Asia.

Ironically, her blood will never come close to Asia. Nurse Sandrah Waite said that while many people are inspired to donate by such events, their contributions may not have a direct impact. “We’re all affected emotionally,” she said. “Everybody comes in even though the blood doesn’t go [to Asia].” The Red Cross tries to keep their blood fresh, so they use local donations. The blood going to tsunami victims will most likely come from Australia and New Zealand, according to Waite.

While their efforts may not be as heroic as they thought, the donors kept coming in, including ASG President Bud Khuth. Khuth has been donating since he became eligible in high school, and his reasons for donating are simple: “People need it.”

In all the times Khuth has donated, he has not seen the needles as an issue. “I anticipate the needles,” he said. “There’s really no fear when it comes to it. There’s the initial sting and then that’s it.”

When talking to people with fears of donating, his advice is simple: “Blood saves lives. Do your part.”