On Wednesday, December 21, 2022, the Connect4Cancer club at Franklin High School organized a blood drive to help provide cancer patients with blood transfusions at Massachusetts General Hospital. A mobile blood donor center was parked outside of the high school with staff that spent the day taking people’s blood from the FHS community.

Katie Sawyer, a member of the Connect4Cancer club, said that the blood drive “went very well, as we had approximately seventy people donate blood.” 

Each student that signed up to contribute to this drive started by checking in with the Connect4Cancer club members and were sent out to the mobile blood donor center, where they would give nearly a pint of blood. They were then provided with snacks and food while they rested before returning to class. 

Sawyer also commented on the initiatives of the Connect4Cancer club at FHS, saying, “Our mission is to spread awareness about cancer, and through the blood drive, we were able to reach the community and help many cancer patients that are getting treated at MGH (Massachusetts General Hospital)”. This blood drive appears to be a step toward the Connect4Cancer club’s goal of increasing the FHS community’s knowledge of cancer and cancer treatments, as well as showing the community how they can help the patients who are suffering. 

“A lot of people don’t know that blood is something that is… in demand,” shared Connect4Cancer club member, Cara DiDomenico.

As the nation faces a blood shortage, many people’s lives are at risk without the excess blood that is needed to save patients in critical, life threatening situations. This current blood shortage makes blood drives, such as the Connect4Cancer drive, essential during this time. 

The FHS community was able to come together through this blood drive to support suffering patients at Massachusetts General Hospital, increase the community’s knowledge about cancer, and as Sawyer said, give the community the ability to “save several lives”.