A good day to give blood

College of Lake County students and faculty did their part of help those with medical needs Wednesday by participating in a blood drive at the Grayslake campus.

According to LifeSource, summer is a difficult time for blood centers nationwide due to vacations and busy schedules that lead to fewer blood donations.

"We go to different communities, different high schools, and we go to companies to collect blood. People enjoy doing it," explained Noemi Ramirez, mobile collections supervisor for LifeSource.

Officials expected to see 40 donors during Wednesday's blood drive, and the event was busy during the morning.

"I have O negative blood, and I get calls all the time, and I feel like it's something I should do. It is a very minor inconvenience," Third Lake resident John Boland said as he donated blood. "It is the second rarest blood type, but it is the one blood type that every other blood can receive."

Donated blood can save up to three lives because whole blood is separated into three components: red cells to replenish blood in surgery, platelets to help stop bleeding for cancer patients, and plasma to help treat bleeding patients.