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“Be the Match. Be The One To Save A Life”
That is the slogan of the National Bone Marrow program of which Villanova University football head coach Andy Talley has been a part since 1992. For the third consecutive year, Talley has received commitments from over 30 other college football programs from around the nation, resulting in over 11,500 potential donors having been entered into the registry as potential donors.
Three West Chester University student-athletes were found to be potential donors this past May and have answered the call to “Be The Match. Be The One To Save A Life”.
Sophomore linebacker Jared Bonacquisti, junior wide receiver Bill Pommerer and junior offensive lineman Dom Dovidio are doing their part this summer to help save a life. Each student-athlete underwent a second, more intensive, screening process after initially being identified as a potential donor to make sure they were exact matches.
Dovidio was selected to be a blood donor and underwent that process in mid-June. Bonacquisti was selected to undergo the bone marrow transplant process in mid-July. Pommerer was still being tested to see if he was an exact match at the time this article went to print.
“West Chester University and the football program are extremely proud of these young men,” head coach Bill Zwaan said. “They fully understand what is at stake for a recipient and what they are doing. The fact they are willingly giving of their time and stepping up to help save a life is a testament to each of their character, and the football program could not be more proud.”
This is the third year that Zwaan has been a part of the National Bone Marrow program and the first year in which any of his players have been identified as potential matches. Each April, Zwaan organizes a “Be The Match” donor drive on campus to help collect names to put in the registry. Bonacquisti, Pommerer and Dovidio were all entered into the registry in April 2009 – the first year of Zwaan’s and West Chester’s involvement.
Students come by Sykes Student Union each April, get tested and then wait and see if they receive a phone call. Bonacquisti, Pommerer and Dovidio all got that call. The recovery time for the operations is relatively quick, and Zwaan indicated that all three would be ready to compete once preseason camp opened in early August.
“The fact that these young men are all athletes and in good physical shape really helps,” Zwaan said. “That is why the bone marrow program has embraced the assistance of college-aged football players.”
“The idea is to get your name on the national registry as a potential donor,” Lehigh University assistant football coach Dennis Roberts was quoted as saying on www.Lehighsports.com recently. “What the test is looking for are healthy adult stem cells. The actual process is a cotton swab DNA test. The person getting tested is not donating now, but rather to see if they are a potential donor if they match.
Several students have been identified as potential matches since Talley partnered with the national program in 1992. Last May, Villanova’s All-America wide receiver Matt Szczur donated peripheral blood cells to a young leukemia patient, who only had a 1-in-80,000 chance of finding a match. Szczur joined the national “Be The Match” registry as a freshman. He is one of three Villanova football players to be a match for a patient over the past 19 years.
Each year approximately 10,000 people in the United States need an unrelated marrow or corblood transplant, but less than half of those people receive the transplant they need.
There are approximately 20 million people worldwide who are registered as potential marrow donors, yet there are only about 250 matches found each year, making it a 1-in-80,000 chance that a registered donor will be a match. Donors with diverse racial or ethnic backgrounds are highly encouraged to get tested as patients in need of a transplant are most likely to match someone of their own race or ethnicity.
The National Bone Marrow Match program is just one example of how West Chester University’s student-athletes try to make a difference in the community and beyond. The University and its entire athletic department are very proud of the commitment and leadership shown by Bonacquisti, Pommerer and Dovidio.
When the West Chester Football team participated in a bone marrow drive last fall, many players never thought they would actually be a match. It turned out 3 of the 99 member team were identified as being able to save someone life. The bone marrow registry identified Dominic Dovidio, Bill Pommerer, and Jared Bonacquisti as matches. All three players have or will undergo the bone marrow donation process.
