A Duquesne University student gave a perfect stranger the gift of life.
For the last 13 years, the Duquesne University football program has spearheaded a bone marrow drive on campus, players registering themselves to be potential donors with a quick swab, and asking students to do the same.
They've registered 4900 people as potential donors; 24 people have actually completed the process.
A football player himself had never donated and he had to say yes when he found out he was a match for someone in need of bone marrow.
"I really had the chance to do something [that] many people can say they've done. That really inspired me… I think of life so differently know and that helped me a lot," says Ayden Garnes.
Red shirt freshman Ayden Garnes donated his bone marrow earlier this month.
He knows very little about the recipient, only that she's a woman in her 20s who has been given a second chance.
He says he thought of his grandmother, who he supported through a cancer diagnosis.
"I know how families feel when they have a family member that's in the hospital 24/7. In and out care, getting different things, having a bald head because all her hair fell out. I know how that feels. I wouldn't want that for another family," explains Ayden.
The donation stemmed from the partnership between the Be the Match program and the Duquesne football team. Garnes is the first football player to donate.
Be sure to listen live and follow KDKA NewsRadio on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news and updates. You can download the Audacy App here.
