drive and was one of 100 people inspired by Mya ’ s situation to go through the short process of registering that day . travelled to the patient ’ s bone marrow where they , ideally , are stimulating the patient ’ s body to produce its own blood cells .
“ I knew the chances of someone [ from the bone marrow registry ] being selected were pretty slim , but it was only going to take 15 minutes . So , I thought ‘ let ’ s go , there ’ s no excuse .’ My wife and I got our cheeks swabbed , filled out the paperwork , and we were done . It was that simple ,” says Coach Dawson .
What Coach Dawson didn ’ t know at the time , was this altruistic act in honor of Mya Grace would have a ripple effect far beyond the Enka community . A few months after Coach Dawson signed up , he received an unexpected call .
Dawson says , “ I was actually playing golf when Be the Match called ! I initially thought it was a telemarketer . Then they left a voicemail , so I checked it and was like ‘ Oh my ’! They told me I was a match for someone .”
On this warm day in mid-July , Dawson ’ s excitement and curiosity about being a bone marrow donor was swiftly eclipsed by shock and sadness . That day , Mya Grace lost her battle with cancer .
“ It was a very emotional day ,” says Dawson .
Overwhelmed at times with different emotions , Dawson soon began the 6-week preparation process so doctors could harvest his bone marrow to help a stranger in desperate need .
Coach Kruk hands Mya a softball before the Championship Game .
Matt Dawson gives a thumbs up during donation process .
Be the Match reached out to Dawson shortly before this magazine went to print . The recipient ( whose identity is being kept confidential ) is recovering and doing as well as can be expected . At this point , Coach Dawson does not need to donate again , but if the person ’ s condition worsens , he says he wouldn ’ t hesitate to go through the process again .
“ I don ’ t consider myself a hero ,” says Dawson . “ The goal was to help Mya Grace , but we ended up helping someone else . Anyone at that bone marrow drive that day would have done what I did .”
Mya Grace ’ s life and legacy gained attention via local news coverage and Facebook . We may never know how far her story has reached or who has been inspired by this brave seven-year-old girl .
“ That ’ s what was so special about Mya . She made so many people want to do better and be better ,” says Coach Kruk .
Coach Dawson believes , “ You ’ ve got to help out when you can and hope for the best . That ’ s what you ’ re giving when you give bone marrow . You are giving someone hope .”
As part of his preparation , five days before he was set to fly to Virginia for the procedure , Dawson began receiving injections to stimulate his bones to produce more blood forming stem cells , which would be pulled from his veins just like the procedure for donating plasma . “ In reality , the process was so simple . It was like giving blood for four hours .”
The stem cells pulled from Coach Dawson are the same found in bone marrow . They were given to the recipient in an IV , just like a blood transfusion . They
Matt Dawson works with a student during class at Enka High .
Log on to BeTheMatch . org to find out more about hosting a bone marrow registry drive or contacting them directly to be added to the registry .
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