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Donating blood can be intimidating. Lauren Roles, a microbiology major and certified nursing assistant, will be the first to admit that the thought of it used to make her queasy.
"Honestly, it was really scary to me at first — I kind of hated it,” she said. “Once I realized it was all in my head and just trusted the professionals who know what they’re doing, the process became so much easier.”
Now, as a student ambassador for Abbott and the Big Ten’s “We Give Blood” drive, it’s Roles' job to inspire her fellow Huskers to donate blood. She makes a pretty strong case for it.
“Blood donations from younger generations in the U.S. have dropped by nearly one-third in recent years, which has taken a huge toll,” she said. “We’re in a bit of a frenzy to get people to donate because blood is needed every day to save lives.”
More giving also means winning — the We Give Blood drive is a competition among all Big Ten universities to get the most blood donations by Dec. 5. Nebraska won the competition last year, along with the $1 million prize from Abbott.
Defending that victory is one reason to donate, but Roles also wants students to recognize the impacts.
“Most people are shocked to realize we’re in such a bad place with blood donations nationwide. It only takes 10 minutes to donate, and one donation could save up to three lives,” she said.
During Homecoming Week, hundreds of students give blood as part of the competition. Other opportunities to donate on campus will be offered throughout the semester. Additionally, any Husker student, alumni or fan across the country can log off-campus donations at BigTen.org/Abbott or by texting “DONATE” to 222688.
Roles, a pre-med student with goals to work in healthcare after graduation, wants people to use the challenge as a starting point that gets them into the regular habit of donating.
“A lot of people approach donating blood as something that’s scary — I really want to help people feel excited by it,” Roles said. “When you give blood, you’re contributing to something that’s bigger than yourself and making a difference in people’s lives.”
