Penn State player missing games to save a life

[Brannigans Law]

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/penn-st...000518167.html

On Thursday night, David Glen could hardly sleep. He was excited and he was anxious.

It was a restless night for the Penn State forward because he was unsure of what would await him on Friday. That day would mark the start of becoming a bone marrow donor. That day would mark the start of helping save someone’s life.

“I was a little antsy, obviously,” said the sophomore. “I woke up a few times thinking about it, but I’m pretty excited about it. This is Day One and I’m looking forward to continuing with the process.”

On Friday, Glen went to Geisinger-Bloomsburg Hospital in Bloomsburg, P.A. – roughly an hour and half away from campus – to have blood drawn and take a series of injections to start the five-day process. He’ll have another four days' worth of injections of filgrastim, a drug Glen has trouble pronouncing, but which will increase the number of blood-forming cells in his bloodstream.

“I’m feeling pretty well right now, actually,” said Glen after his first day of treatment at the hospital. “I was actually in and out of there in about an hour and it was not too painful, so it was good.”

“A lot of people say it’s a sacrifice not to play,” said Glen. “But hockey is just a game and this is an opportunity that goes beyond that.

“This gives me the chance to save a life and give someone a second chance at living.”

[Coach]

Cool beans.

[agulati]

Good on him!

[Stupid]

Wise kid

[JonDuke]

Good story. Too bad there weren't more people like that out there.

[Pierre "Monster" McGuire]

The Atlanta Falcons' LB Paul Worrilow did the same thing in his senior year.

I have mad respect for athletes who sacrifice their professional career for more meaningful things like this.

[Lanny'sDaMan]

I want this kid on the Flames. That is exactly the type of attitude you want everyone on the planet have.

[goodyear]

I was a donor back in November 2012 and was matched through the OneMatch network of the Canadian Blood Services. The match was anonymous and as such I did not know who the recipient was or how he/she is doing now.

Like the article says, I remember the five days leading up to the procedure involved a few trips to the bone marrow clinic at the Tom Baker. There were lots of blood tests and a few injections to increase the my white blood cell count. The procedure itself took half a day and the medical team advised me not to do any strenuous activities afterwards.

Though I'm not a varsity athlete, I had no side effects from the procedure and I was back to normal within a few days. I'm sure David Glen will recover in no time and hope it will be a smooth operation for his recipient.

One thing I didn't know prior to becoming a donor is that bone marrow donations are only possible for people of the same ethnic group. One of the biggest challenges for OneMatch is to have an active donor base that reflects the current demographics of Canada. They are always looking for new donors from the ethnic communities. However, be it that you're white, black, or any colours in between, this is a really worthwhile cause and I encourage anyone in good health to sign up.

Check out their website for more info: http://www.blood.ca/CentreApps/Inter...=OMSplashEnter

Or send me a PM.

[Hockeyguy15]

Signed up a couple of years ago but haven't had a call yet. It should be noted that most people won't ever get a call saying they are a match.

[Knut]

Yeah.. i signed up a few years ago. I hope to one day get the call so i can contribute.

[K1LLswitch]

signed up. Donate blood, but didn't know this was out there