On Monday, the first day of the annual spring blood drive, students Stephanie Ensey and Laura Miller walked into the lobby of the Great Hall of the Memorial Union. They were greeted by Daniel McCoy, blood drive volunteer and sophomore in entomology.

“Hello. Here to donate blood today?” McCoy asked.

“Yeah,” said Ensey, freshman in child, family and adult services.

“Ever donated before?” McCoy asked.

“Um, no,” said Miller, freshman in early childhood education. Someone asked if they were nervous.

“Yes,” Ensey and Miller said, in unison.

After the pair signed in at the Great Hall, they walked to the Regency Room for registration. Ensey and Miller answered some basic identification questions, and then headed back to the Great Hall.

Ensey and Miller said there was a good reason they have never donated blood before.

“I was always too scared,” Ensey said.

Now, Ensey said, she wants to help people and earn points for Kappa Alpha Theta, her sorority house, at the same time. Miller went with her for moral support.

“Stephanie made me. It helps to have somebody with you,” Miller said.

After registration they were called to the “physical findings” desk, where their blood pressure, temperature and iron count were measured.

Allison Mignano, blood drive co-director and junior in speech communication, checked on the donors.

Mignano said there were two different donation areas, and donors could choose where they wanted their blood donated.

“There are five different blood centers that come in, and they rotate through the week. Today is Mary Greeley from here in Ames, and Ottumwa,” Mignano said.

Ensey finished with the physical findings check-up and returned to the waiting area.

“It’s not that bad,” she said.

Ensey said she didn’t know anyone who has needed blood, but Miller said she did.

“My grandpa got in an accident,” she said. “The hospital asked my dad to donate and he ended up passing out. I guess that’s another reason I’m scared. But they got one of my uncles to donate.”

After the pair was finished, they moved on to the last step before actual donation: A question-and-answer process with a nurse to ensure they were both eligible to give blood.

Once finished, Ensey was led to a padded lounger. Phlebotomist Cindy Bone, who extracts blood for the Southeast Iowa Blood Center, told Ensey to roll up her sleeve so she could put a pressure cuff on Ensey’s upper arm.

“The cuff is cold,” Ensey said. “Is it supposed to be really tight?”

Bone assured her that it was suppose to be tight.

“That’s how we get the veins to stand up,” she said.

Ensey’s elbow was swabbed with alcohol to prepare it for the needle. Before Ensey knew it, the needle was in and pumping away.

She was given a star-shaped stress ball to squeeze as the rest of the process was explained to her.

“It takes the average donor 6 to 10 minutes to donate blood. You’re doing great,” Bone said.

On the other side of the donor floor, Miller bit on her sweatshirt, but didn’t flinch as the needle was put in her arm.

“Not bad,” she said. “I don’t feel any different, so that’s good.”

Ensey finished and was instructed to hold her arm in the air and press a cloth pad on the spot where blood was drawn.

“My fingers are tingling,” Miller said. “Is that normal?”

“Try wiggling them around,” Bone said.

After their elbows were taped up, they headed over to a table loaded with free cookies and soda for donors. Both agreed the food was probably their favorite part.

“Everything after the needle was good,” Ensey said.

Miller said her experience was more unnerving.

“It was scary when the girl next to me passed out,” she said.

Ensey said she thought donating blood was worth doing again.

“It was a good experience,” Ensey said.

Miller was more enthusiastic.

“I might start donating plasma now,” she said.

They said after their donations, the rest of their day seemed almost dreary.

“I have a paper due at four o’clock,” Miller said.

After a few more chocolate chip cookies, they headed off to their normal schedules, as two new blood donations were packed into coolers.