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By William Stieglitz

The Middle Country Public Library’s Centereach branch hosted a blood drive on May 27 with New York Blood Center, drawing in many local donors. 

“We use a lot of blood, supplying all the hospitals in [the] New York area,” said NYBC team leader Vincent Verdi. “So we need to collect as much blood as possible.”

Donors start by filling out paperwork and getting an initial drop of blood taken behind a blue curtain. After the drop is tested and found to have the right amount of iron, donors go to a chair where blood is taken from their arm via a machine. “The whole thing from when you walk in [takes] probably, maybe a half an hour,” said blood donor Bruce King, not counting the 15 minutes after for observation and cookies.

King donates every few months. Another donor, John Ryan, said he tries to donate as often as he can. “[My] family had a traumatic hospital experience once, so it’s my way of giving back.” Austin Pelissier said it was his sixth or seventh time donating, and does so because “I don’t have an excuse not to… I like being able to save a life.”

Pelissier said he always gives the double red blood donation, which he explained was different from the full blood donation. “The double red – they take your blood, they filter out the red blood cells, take the red blood cells, and give you the rest of your blood back along with a little bit of saline solution. That way, you don’t feel as woozy, but they can take more of the red blood cells, which they do.”

NYBC volunteer Marie Rotolo said its important donors prep right by drinking plenty of water and making sure they ate enough protein beforehand. She and other volunteers observe people after their donation to make sure they’re okay. “If we see that someone is getting sick, we just help them to put their head down so they don’t fall… I call for assistance, someone will come over. They’ll ask them if they could get up to go in the chair, and they bring them back on the bed, raise their feet, do what they need to do.”

Rotolo became a volunteer after retiring from Stony Brook Hospital, and has done it three times a week since 2016 to give back. Another volunteer, Lynn Paul, began while she was still working as a retired nurse, and said she likes to give as much time as she can. She has volunteered at blood drives for fire departments, schools and other libraries. “I feel like I’m helping the community doing this. And, it’s fun. We have a ball. Nice people that we meet. The staff is friendly.”

Paul said the turnout can vary, with some having around 50 sign-ups and at least one she was at having over a hundred. But she also stressed that even small turnouts can make a big difference. “Some drives will only get 20, but 20 is 20 units. One unit can save three people. So it’s the gift of life, and we really appreciate it. And we thank them. We make sure that they’re well appreciated, and they know it. And they keep coming back.”

According to Verdi, the day’s blood drive kept a steady pace. “Some blood drives, we get 30 pints, which gets separated into three different components and which would be 90 products.” He explained how after spinning down the blood into red blood cells, plasma and platelets, they then send the products to the hospitals based on their specific needs.

The blood drive was one of many held at Middle Country Public Library, which supplies NYBC with their programming room and also helps with contacting donors. The library normally holds several blood drives each year.

For more information on blood donations or to schedule an appointment, you can go to https://donate.nybc.org or call 1-800-933-2566.