Central Michigan University Athletics
CMU Football Rallies Behind Derrick Nash
11/12/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
By Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - Central Michigan supporters can join with Chippewa football player Derrick Nash in his battle with leukemia on Saturday at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
Fans who wear orange in the support of leukemia awareness to Chippewas' game with Miami can purchase a special $10 ticket. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. The football team will be wearing orange ribbon helmet stickers in an effort to raise leukemia awareness.
"Derrick is a huge inspiration for our entire team and we are committed to doing whatever we need to do to help him get better," CMU Football head coach Dan Enos said. "I know Derrick has really appreciated the support he has gotten from the entire community."
The Michigan Blood Registry is holding a Be The Match event on the island in Lot 62 directly north of Kelly/Shorts Stadium. Information about leukemia and Be The Match will be available at the event, and individuals age 18-44 can join by filling out a health questionnaire and providing a cheek swab.
Another registry is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 20 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at several campus locations: Fabiano, Woldt, Emmons, Saxe, Herrig and Celani residence halls; the Health Professions building; and the Bovee University Center. The Central Michigan football team will take part in the event.
Nash, who hails from Saginaw and is a freshman on the CMU football team, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in May, 2013 as he neared the end of his senior year at Carrollton High School.
Doctors expected a lengthy hospital stay, but Nash quickly responded to treatment and was in remission within a month.
Thanks to his remarkable turnaround, his dream of playing college football was realized when he suited up with the Chippewas during their annual Maroon and Gold Spring Game at Kelly/Shorts. He was on schedule to claim a spot on the active roster for the 2014 season when doctors discovered the leukemia had returned.
Now facing his second bout with leukemia, Nash and his doctors are hoping to receive a lifesaving bone marrow transplant. Finding a matching donor can be a difficult task.
"Seventy percent of people who need a transplant will not have a match in their family and will turn to Be The Match to find a lifesaving donor," said Caitlin Regan, stem cell recruitment specialist for Michigan Blood. "Patients are most likely to find a match in someone of their same ethnic background and currently, the registry is comprised of almost 70 percent Caucasian donors. Therefore, it's extremely important for us to continue to increase the size and diversity of the registry to improve all patients' chance for a cure."
Michigan Blood's Marrow/Stem Cell Program recruits potential donors for patients across the country and around the world who need bone marrow or stem cell transplants. With every new potential donor, the chance of a match for thousands of patients with leukemia, lymphoma, and other blood diseases improves.
A third registry event is Wednesday, Nov. 19 from 3-7 p.m. at Ames United Methodist Church, 801 State, Saginaw.
"Although these registry drives are being held in Derrick's honor, it's important to remember that when members of the community volunteer to join the registry, they're making themselves available to any patient searching for a donor," Regan said.
While donors of all types help save lives, there is a serious shortage of potential donors who represent ethnic minorities. For Nash's drives, organizers are seeking African-Americans in particular to support the effort.
