Sweet 16

Sweet 16: a first-time donor gives blood on her 16th birthday

When North High School (Davenport, Iowa) held its February 2010 blood drive, Reagan Washburn was just a few weeks shy of turning 16, the age at which donors can begin giving blood (with a signed parental permission form).

When she did turn 16 in March of this year, there were two thing Reagan wanted to do on her birthday: obtain her driver’s license and donate blood for the first time. Unfortunately, the Department of Motor Vehicles was closed that day, but MVRBC’s Davenport Donor Center was open and more than happy to welcome her as a donor.

An active student at Davenport North High School, Reagan is involved in Volleyball, Golf and Cheerleading. She says, "The blood center rep who came to North was very persuasive that donating blood was a good thing to do and would help many people, so I was all for it."

After donating for the first time on her birthday, Reagan made an appointment for her next donation in 56 days, putting her on pace to finish high school as a "Gallon Grad."