“You’ll Never Know When You Need It”
By Adrienne Hoffmann
Wayne State College Staff Writer
Scott Steele, a graduate assistant at WSC, knows first hand just how valuable blood donations are.
In May 2001, Steele was driving to a birthday party south of Pierce when the road changed from blacktop to gravel.
He was driving 60-70 miles per hour when he hit the gravel. He made the mistake of slamming on his brakes and he lost control of his car. After rolling his car three times, Steele needed serious medical attention. When EMT’s arrived on the scene, they made the decision to life-flight him to Sioux City.
After his helicopter landed at Mercy medical Center, he received 2-3 units of blood that saved his life. The Pierce EMT’s said that if he had lain in the ditch another 30 minutes, he would have died of blood loss.
Scott's car
“The easy answer is to say, ‘You’ll never know when you need it’ or ‘when your loved one will need it,’ but the bottom line is: we are all a part of this world, and when a family member, friend or even a complete stranger needs life-saving blood, it is our duty as decent and caring people to ensure that blood is always available for anyone. It’s the easiest donation anyone can make,” Steele said.
