A blood drive was held in the Raymond B. Preston Health and Activities Center earlier today, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Turnout for the blood drive was lower than expected for the day.

Amanda Hickman, who works to collect donated blood, said they had 24 to 25 people come in before 1 p.m.

“We’re scheduled for 56 people,” Hickman said.

Ginger Pickett, who also worked at the blood drive, attributed the lower turnout than usual to sick people.

“A lot of people give cause they’ve had a personal experience with family,” Pickett said.

Jeffry Edwards, a senior from Murray, Ky., gives blood every chance he can get.

“I think today makes nine pints that I’ve donated,” Edwards said at the campus blood drive Thursday, Jan. 30.

In 2010, Edwards’ brother Jonathan was severely injured in a repelling accident.

“He was throwing a rope off the top of the cliff and he wasn’t clipped in,” Edwards said. “He lost his balance and went off from the top to the bottom, and it was a 65 foot fall.”

His brother had to be immediately rushed to the Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn.

“He went through a total of 13 surgeries, used a total of 27 pints of blood and 14 things of fresh frozen plasma,” Edwards said. “I want to reach the amount that he took.”

The accident occurred at Pilot Rock in Hopkinsville, Ky. Edwards likes to repel down the natural rock formation with family and friends, he said.

Edwards’ brother is currently a junior at Murray State University.

“He does fine now,” Edwards said. “Only thing that might affect him in the slightest is he’s blind in one eye.”

Edwards said that he enjoys going to campus blood drives.

“I typically just go to the ones that have been hosted here at Western,” Edwards said.

Edwards said that he doesn’t let a fear of needles or time concerns stop him from giving blood.

“It doesn’t take away from what you need to do and it basically costs nothing, you get it back,” he said.