Story told by Mandy McMahon

“In the 80s, I had a professor that said he would give extra credit for donating blood, so I went and donated. That’s what started it for me. It wasn’t that bad, so I kept giving,” said Nell Stephenson of Pawleys Island, South Carolina.

Now an educator of 34 years, Nell—Ms. Stephenson, to her students—inspires teens the same way she first became a blood donor.

“When we started having blood drives at school, I told my students I’ll give you extra credit if you donate blood. It is the only way they can get extra credit in my class for the test category, which is 50% of their grade,” Nell explains the high value she allots to giving blood.

Nell teaches Anatomy, Biology, and AP Biology at Waccamaw High School, which hosts three blood drives every year. She teaches students about how blood and blood disorders are inherited. Students learn about blood components, including platelets, plasma, and red blood cells, as well as what happens in an emergency when someone needs a transfusion.

“I had a parent and daughter give together at our drive yesterday and a young man who gave for the first time,” Nell says with pride of the influence she’s had on her students. “A lot of them came back yesterday after school and said, ‘you know—that really does make you feel good inside.’ I said, ‘yes, it does.’”

After more than three decades of teaching, Nell has former students who’ve since become parents themselves. Some of her former students have witnessed first-hand the lifesaving power of blood donation for their own growing families.

“One of my former students, their child had Leukemia at the age of two. They’ve asked me if I still encourage students to give blood and said, ‘Keep doing it – my child has to have transfusions,’” Nell recalls conversations with a mother she taught many years ago.

Witnessing the full circle of her impact on her students moves Nell to continue encouraging her students to give blood. She even helps students overcome their fear of needles – a common concern among first-time donors.

“Yes, they get the extra credit, but a lot of them go on to be lifelong donors; that’s the goal,” said Nell of the legacy she hopes to instill in her students. “Even after they’ve graduated, they continue to send me pictures saying, ‘I’m still donating!’”