A Talk with Abigail Suleman (UIC ’21), Co-Founder of Project, “Blood Buds”

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic that rushed in a year of online learning, undergraduate students at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) have been putting their passions into a reality, as can be seen by the wealth of new organizations and projects that emerged. One such project, Blood Buds, is funded by the UIC Office of Sustainability with a grant of $5,279.85 and aims to combat the stigma surrounding menstrual health by providing menstrual health education to UIC students. Led by three UIC students – Abigail Suleman, Amy Chang, and Divya Krishnakumar – the project intends to 1) create a zero-waste campus, 2) support and promote sustainable menstruation, and 3) supply students with menstrual cups and education that they lack. Abigail Suleman, a Chemistry major who is in her third and final year, speaks more about the project.

“I was passionate about menstrual health and product drives…but supplying one-time products was not enough…it wasn’t sustainable, so I thought about the availability of menstrual cups.” Led by her passion for menstrual health and previous efforts in period product drives, Suleman wanted menstrual health to be more accessible to UIC students but in a sustainable manner. She realized that distributing menstrual cups, which are small, flexible, and reusable funnel cups, would do just this. The Blood Buds team began their project by holding a panel with Dr. Supriya Mehta of UIC Global Health, Jorah Griffin at Dot Menstrual Cup, and Lisa Barnes at The Period Collective. The panel was able to educate students on menstrual health, combat the stigma surrounding it, and introduce the idea of sustainable menstruation. The team then worked with Dot Menstrual Cup to give away 250 menstrual cups to UIC undergraduates, graduates, faculty, and staff and provided support for those new to the cup. Those who wished to receive a cup simply had to fill out an anonymous menstrual attitudes questionnaire, which gave Blood Buds an idea of how comfortable UIC students, faculty, and staff were with menstrual health, period poverty, and other menstrual concerns. 

Blood Buds recently received another grant from the UIC Office of Sustainability for internship opportunities, allowing more students to join the Blood Buds team. “The purpose of the internship,” Suleman notes, “is to create connections to establish a hub in the wellness center to distribute menstrual cups and host monthly information sessions on menstrual health.” They have also presented at the 2021 UIC Minority Health Conference on April 16th, which featured Dr. Fernando De Maio, Director of Research and Data Use at the Center for Health Equity at the American Medical Association, and other expert panelists in the field of health equity and public health. Blood Buds’ main goal, as Suleman explains it, is to create consistent summer internships with this project as students can continue this initiative after Suleman, Chang, and Krishnakumar have graduated. They also hope to host more educational events about menstrual health to not only provide resources for students but to combat the stigma surrounding menstruation. 

With such a diverse campus like UIC, it is important to recognize the various comfort and economic levels when it comes to menstruation. Menstruation should no longer be stigmatized but should be a topic of familiarity to all. Promoting eco-friendly and sustainable menstrual products will also create a huge difference regarding the diversity and size of UIC. Blood Buds is only the start of a significant change to come – and it’s not too late to get involved! If you are interested in the work of Blood Buds, make sure to follow their Instagram @uic.blood.buds or reach out to Abigail Suleman, Amy Chang, or Divya Krishnakumar to keep up to date about their upcoming events and internship opportunities!