The Legacy of Saving a Life

Owen Leach, exercise science student, donates stem cells to cancer patient

Owen Leach wasn't thinking about the impact he could make on a stranger's life last spring on the campus of the University of Minnesota Duluth. The current redshirt freshman men's basketball player walked into the Romano Gym lobby and saw other UMD athletes promoting the NMPD – formerly Be The Match – cheek swabs, and was waived over by Bulldog football player. Leach obliged, thinking he would just do it because the student athlete asked him to. He had no idea he would get the opportunity of a lifetime.

On Oct. 29, Leach got an email telling him he was a match for a cancer patient. 

"I was prompted to call a number to go over details about this opportunity," said Leach. "After talking with my parents and coach Wieck (UMD's head men's basketball coach), we decided it was definitely something I should move forward with"

Fast forward to January, and the Glyndon, Minn. native had agreed to be flown to Phoenix, Ariz. to harvest his stem cells on Jan. 14 – in the middle of basketball season – all to save a cancer patient he had never met.

Owen Leach in a medical chair. he is hooked up to various types medical equipment

"My donation experience in Phoenix involved being attached to a machine that harvested about 930 million stem cells from my body," said Leach. "The process involves a poke in one arm that removes the blood from my body and inserts it into a machine that then separates stem cells from my blood. Then the blood returns into my body through an IV in the other arm and the cycle repeats. The RN said all of the blood in my body cycled through the machine about three times. I got to the donation site at 7 a.m. and the procedure went from about 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. in total. The nurses were very great, my RN actually grew up in Superior, Wisconsin, so that was cool. It was a very successful procedure, and the person I helped was a 67 yr old terminal cancer patient in the United States. This patient now has a 80-90% chance of recovering fully.

Leach's ability to impact and potentially save another life is a noble act, but it was also an act of selflessness encouraged from his head coach, Justin Wieck.

"I'm extremely proud of Owen for pursuing this opportunity to help someone in need," said Wieck. "This is a tremendous example of his selflessness and his eagerness to be a part of such an amazing opportunity. This has been a 4-5 month process for Owen and he has been steadfast in wanting to do whatever he can to help.  To do this while navigating a collegiate basketball season and his own academic rigors, really shows the kind of person Owen is. Our whole team is extremely proud of him." 

A week after the procedure, Leach was reflective of his experience and extremely appreciative of it.

"I just feel grateful to be given such an awesome opportunity to help this patient out," said Leach. "It was a very long process to get to this point but getting the text saying that your stem cells have arrived at the patient's hospital and are being infused is so fulfilling, knowing you are helping save someone's life. I would tell others signing up for Be The Match (NMPD ) is just to answer the email if you are matched. You can truly save a life, as well as the people you meet through this experience are amazing and care for you just as much as they care for the recipient of your donation.

There's no question Leach arguably understands the true meaning of a teammate on and off the court in ways typical student athletes can't even fathom now.

"Life is so much bigger than the next season, the next game, or the next practice, and Owen's willingness to make this priority number one is a great example to all of us," said Wieck. "As he returned from his trip to Arizona following the donation, it was awesome to hear the pride he has for the entire process, what all went into the last four months, and ultimately a success story for someone in need." 

"It was a great and fulfilling experience,  I think this experience just reinforced doing something that's bigger than yourself," said Leach. "Just like in our team setting for basketball, we are in it for something more than just individual stats; we are in it for each other to win games and championships."

After what Leach committed to over the past few months, it's clear he has already won at something far bigger than anything on the court. A chance of fate and the courage to go forward with a very selfless act. An incredible example for all of us.

*Of note, Leach is now the second UMD student athlete to have been a match through the Be The match, NMPD program in the past two years. Former UMD kicker Curtis Cox was a bone marrow donor almost one year ago after he matched a two-year child. Read more about Cox and his own journey with Be The Match.

This article was originally published by UMD Athletics.