In their annual epic battle known simply as The Game, Ohio State came up just short against Michigan, dashing championship hopes for the Buckeye faithful.
But the 42nd annual Blood Battle told another tale as Ohio State outpaced Michigan 1,721 to 1,469 donations to emerge victorious. It was the second year in a row that Ohio State's donations topped That School Up North in this critical competition.
“We are so proud of our Ohio State and central Ohio communities, coming together to play a role in this friendly off-the-field competition,” said Dr. Naeem Ali, medical director, University Hospital and director of critical care clinical operations at the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center. “The selfless act by so many donors has the potential to make a lifesaving impact for thousands of our patients.”
Among the donors in the Blood Battle, more than half gave blood for the first time, suggesting that a new generation is beginning to step up.
One of nearly 50 sites where Buckeyes gave blood in the days before The Game was the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. room of Hale Hall. Given the diverse population of Hale Hall's donors, it was especially important that dozens of donations came from ODI headquarters, according to Versiti, a healthcare company that ran the blood drive.
That's because blood type is inherited; therefore, a compatible donor is often someone of a similar ethnic background. Additionally, increased diversity in the donor population improves the chances of finding a match and may be the difference between life and death for a patient in need.
Since 2019, Versiti has worked with the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center to provide blood and blood-related products to the medical center for patients admitted to the center for traumatic injuries, cancer treatment, organ transplant recipients, and other medical procedures.