Michigan patients need blood donors. Lions fans can help answer the call.

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Photo: Detroit Lions One Pride Blood Drive / Versiti Blood Center of Michigan 

Across Michigan, someone needs blood every day.

It may be a patient receiving cancer treatment. A mother facing complications during childbirth. A child living with sickle cell disease. A neighbor rushed into surgery after a serious accident.

For these patients and their families, blood donation is not abstract. It is time. It is treatment. It is another chance.

That is why Versiti Blood Center of Michigan is calling on donors across the state to make an appointment and help strengthen the local blood supply this summer, including at the upcoming Detroit Lions One Pride Blood Drive on Saturday, July 18, 2026, from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Ford Field in Detroit. 

Hosted in partnership with the Detroit Lions, the One Pride Blood Drive brings fans together for a lifesaving purpose. Donors will have the opportunity to give blood inside Ford Field, receive a commemorative One Pride hat while supplies last, and enjoy appearances by Roary, Detroit Lions Cheerleaders and a Lions legend. Free parking will be available in the Ford Field Parking Deck. 

But the most important part of the day happens long after donors leave the stadium.

Every donation helps ensure blood is available for Michigan hospitals when patients need it most. Blood cannot be manufactured. It cannot be stockpiled indefinitely. It must come from volunteer donors who choose to give.

"Every blood donor helps make care possible for someone they may never meet," said Kristin Brenner, area vice president and senior director of blood operations at Versiti. "The One Pride Blood Drive gives our community a meaningful way to come together, support local patients and show that hope is something we create for one another."

Summer can be a challenging time for the blood supply. School breaks, vacations and changing routines often lead to fewer appointments, while the need for blood remains constant. Patients do not get a summer break from illness, emergencies or treatment.

That makes community blood drives especially important.

The One Pride Blood Drive is more than a fan event. It is a chance for Detroit Lions fans, families, businesses and community members to turn team pride into patient impact. A single appointment can support care for people facing some of the most urgent moments of their lives.

Versiti Blood Center of Michigan serves local hospitals and patients throughout the state. The organization works every day to collect, test and provide blood products that are essential to trauma care, surgeries, cancer treatment and ongoing medical needs.

Donors are the reason that work is possible.

Most healthy adults are eligible to donate blood. The process is simple, and the donation itself usually takes less than an hour from registration to refreshments. Donors are encouraged to eat a healthy meal, drink plenty of water and bring a photo ID.

For many people, giving blood becomes a quiet act of service. There is no need to know the patient’s name to make a difference. The impact is real all the same.

This summer, Versiti is asking Michigan residents to make blood donation part of how they show up for one another. Whether at Ford Field or at a nearby donor center or community blood drive, every appointment helps keep blood available before the next emergency happens.

Lions fans know what it means to stand together. On July 18, that same spirit can help save lives.

Appointments are encouraged for the Detroit Lions One Pride Blood Drive. To schedule, visit Versiti.org.