Blood Drive At first I didn't even care about the assembly I was attending. Everyone else I had talked to had decided not to attend, so I decided I wouldn't either. However, as I sat and listened to the woman speak, and saw how sincere she was, I began to listen with a new interest. Then he put up a video with the stories of the people and families affected. There was one in particular about a little girl who had been in a car accident and would have died if she hadn't received a blood transfusion. Thanks to a blood drive held that day, the little girl's life was saved. That's when I made my decision. I was planning to donate blood. I was only 17, but that is the required age for donation. I also knew I was well above the weight requirement. It was lying on a table for 15 minutes with a needle in my arm that bothered me. But then I started thinking about what it would be like if I needed blood or if someone in my family needed it. I knew I would hope for another person to donate blood for me. So when the movie ended and the bright lights flooded the auditorium, I stood up and proudly walked to the desk set up at the back of the room to sign up as a donor. A week before the blood drive I needed to start following some guidelines that would help make my donation an easy and painless experience. I had to increase my water intake to an unusual amount of almost 10 glasses a day. Doing this would keep my body well hydrated and make it easier for the needle to enter my vein and blood to flow out. Furthermore, on the day of the trip I had to have a large and healthy breakfast. This would give me the energy I needed to donate. I should have avoided ca... half the paper... above my head. "Are you dizzy?" he asked. “Actually, no, I'm fine,” I replied, amazed. And I was. My date came over and accompanied me to the snack table. When I sat down they gave me a cup of juice, a cupcake (to raise blood sugar levels) and a t-shirt. As I sat and talked with some of the other students and ate my cupcakes, I realized that it was the easy one for me to help so many lives. In the end, the main reason for my decision to donate blood was due to the motto that had been ingrained in me since I was little. The simple concept of “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” is the principle that made me appreciate the benefits of what I had done. Sure, I walked out of class, got stickers, a t-shirt, snacks, and bragging rights, but the best thing I got out of my blood donation was the ability to donate.