Dozens of Mississippi College Students Donate Blood in January 2013

MC senior Matt Shidler of Olive Branch

Parked near Provine Chapel and Alumni Hall, two blue bloodmobiles stayed busy the past two days at Mississippi College.

In late January, dozens of MC students took the time to donate the gift of life as part of a Mississippi Blood Services drive that ships blood to 49 hospitals around the Magnolia State.

“It’s a pretty cool thing to do to help someone,” says MC freshman Landon Reddick, 19, of Tallulah, Louisiana as an MBS staff member looked on.

While there was a slight bit of pain involved when a needle started going in, Reddick says the experience really wasn’t bad. “You never know when someone might need blood,” he said Thursday afternoon during the middle of the procedure. “It always comes in handy.”

This was the second time that Reddick has donated blood at Mississippi College since the start of the academic year in late August.

For senior Matt Shidler, 22, of Olive Branch, it marked the first time he gave blood. An injury kept the MC Choctaws mid-distance runner away from track practice on the Clinton campus Wednesday. “It was a good time to do it,” and help somebody else, said the biology major, a DeSoto Central High graduate. Instead of running 800 meters on the track, he was achieving his goal of making a difference.

Based at 115 Tree Street in Flowood, Mississippi Blood Services conducts drives statewide that provide blood to patients suffering trauma injuries, cancer and sickle cell patients and thousands of others undergoing routine and emergency surgeries.

This year, about 42,000 patients in Mississippi and surrounding states will need blood. The average transfusion requires 2.5 units of blood.

Mississippi College faculty, staff and students annually participate in a half-dozen drives by the non-profit Mississippi Blood Services.

For more information, call 888.90.BLOOD.