Big Blue Nation helped Kentucky Blood Center to its third win in the last four years
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Thanks to a consistently strong weeklong showing from Kentucky fans, Kentucky Blood Center defeated MEDIC Regional Blood Center in the 35th annual Big Blue Crush. With 391 donors on Friday, Kentucky finished with 2,094 total donors, beating Tennessee’s five-day total of 1,840 to reclaim the Crush trophy from the Volunteers.
Kentucky improves to 20-14-1 in the friendly competition, which aims to strengthen the blood supply for both states before the Thanksgiving holiday. KBC has won three of the last four drives.
“Thank you to everyone who gave blood this week and propelled us to victory,” said Mandy Brajuha, vice president of external relations at KBC. “We certainly wanted to beat Tennessee, but we are really proud of Kentuckians for coming out in full force for an incredibly important week. In addition to digging out of an unhealthy hole we’ve been in, we will be able to supply our local hospitals with a much-needed boost for Thanksgiving. Thank you to our loyal donors for saving lives.”
Donations with KBC supply 70-plus hospitals in Kentucky. Blood transfusions are used for everything from cancer treatments to premature births, surgeries, anemia, diseases, car accidents and more.
Donors who were unable to give for Big Blue Crush are encouraged to give this week to keep the blood supply healthy for the holiday. Donors can schedule an appointment at any one of KBC’s eight donor centers or daily mobile drives by visiting kybloodcenter.org or calling 800.775.2522.
Blood donors must be at least 17 years old (16 with parental consent), weigh at least 110 pounds, be in general good health, show a photo I.D. and meet additional requirements. Sixteen-year-old donors must have a signed parental permission slip, which can be found at kybloodcenter.org.
