Oklahoma Blood Institute Gearing Up For Bedlam Blood Battle

The Oklahoma Blood Institute is gearing up for a five-day Bedlam Blood Battle.

Donors must be healthy, age 16 or older, and available to give blood between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. from Feb. 13 to the 17th at the ROTC Armory, North Armory Room on the University of Oklahoma campus in Norman.

Blood donors can also do a cheek swab on-site and join the Be The Match marrow registry which could give them an opportunity to save even more lives.

Donors will receive a free Blood Donor Challenge t-shirt and will be entered for a chance to win prizes.

The winning university will win bragging rights and the Bedlam Blood Battle trophy. The Oklahoma State Cowboys edged out the University of Oklahoma Sooners by 66 participants in the fall Bedlam Blood Battle.

“No matter which school edges out the other in this friendly rivalry, the patients in Oklahoma hospitals are the real winners,” said John Armitage, M.D., Oklahoma Blood Institute president and CEO.

The Oklahoma Blood Institute relies on donations from an average of 1,200 donors each day to meet the needs of patients statewide. One blood donation can save as many as three lives, and takes only about an hour.

In 2017, Oklahoma Blood Institute is celebrating its 40th year of saving local lives. Oklahoma Blood Institute is a non-profit, independent blood center now serving more than 160 hospitals, medical facilities and air ambulances statewide.

Appointments can be made by visiting obi.org or calling (877) 340-8777.