Massive Final-Day Push by Big Blue Nation Sparked the Comeback Victory
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Needing a big play with little time left on the clock, Big Blue Nation put a full-court press on Kentucky Blood Center donor centers and mobile drives Friday to come from behind and win the 15th annual Big Blue Slam.
Trailing by a single donation heading into the last day of the five-day competition, Kentucky fans showed up in droves Friday to beat Florida at the proverbial buzzer. With 315 donors in the finale – the high watermark of the 2023 competition – Kentucky Blood Center finished with 1,340 total donors, beating LifeSouth Community Blood Center’s total of 1,294 registrations.
The victory marks the third straight for Kentucky fans, the first three-year winning streak in the series. KBC now leads 9-6 in the annual competition, which calls on rabid fans bases from Kentucky and Florida to stock blood shelves for the winter when collections are often hindered by weather cancellations and seasonal illnesses.
“We were blown away by our state’s support this week,” said Mandy Brajuha, vice president of external relations at KBC. “Locked in a tight competition, donors really stepped up to beat our rivals and donate blood. Coupled with an encouraging start to the 2023 year, this week underscores the power donors have to save lives. We hope this is a sign of things to come, but it will take a commitment from Kentuckians to regularly give the gift of live and provide our hospitals with a healthy supply of blood. Thank you to everyone who made an impact this week.”
Donations with KBC stay in state to 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 Slam 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.
