Current Events: Save a life or Win the Gold?

Amidst all this sadness and terror and death and despair, we wanted to write something about the happy things on this Earth, and remind you all that the world is still an extraordinarily beautiful place and that being happy is crucial. We hope this story will bring a smile to you , as it did to us.

Cameron Lyle, a successful college shot putter who had a good amount of silver medals by senior year, was planning on scoring the gold in the championships when he received news that changed everything. Two years before, he got his cheek swabbed at a Be The Match station in the cafeteria. He promptly forgot about it, and never thought that he would get a call from them telling him that he could save the life of a 28-year-old blood cancer patient. There was one problem - the surgery would take place just before the final championships of his college career, and his last chance to compete for the gold medal. Cameron never even considered not donating so he could finish his college shot put career. He was just a little nervous to tell his coach, Jim Boulanger, that he couldn’t participate in the championships. However, when he told his coach, he was completely supportive. Jim said, “I remember he came into my office, closed the door, and said ‘Coach, we need to talk.’ And then he told me, ‘I’m a bone marrow match.’  And you know what I told him? Let’s see, 12 throws in Binghamton [where the championships were] or save a life? Do it. Donate. Sport is not bigger than life. Sport is a part of life.”

So Cameron underwent surgery on April 25. While most bone marrow patients need about five to ten cubic centimeters, this patient needed 1,800 cubic centimeters. Cameron was sore for days afterward, but it was worth it to save a life. Now, he received the NCAA’s Award of Valor, that is given to an intercollegiate athlete who has shown courage in some way. As his coach said, “People say he only gave up track. But no, it’s more than that. You give up championships. This was his shot. But he gave it up for the right reason. And in the end, he contributed to our athletic programs as an athlete, and as a student, and now as a person. You can’t ask for more than that.”

Sources: http://www.unh.edu/unhtoday/2013/10/cameron-lyle-13-wins-top-ncaa-honorhttps://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/2013/05/13/unh-senior-cameron-lyle-skips-final-championships-donate-bone-marrow/iWyXQqSgPIcRmygBCmIK2O/story.html

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