Life-saving match from donor drive leads to emotional meeting on GMA

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) -- Mandi Schwartz, a member of the Yale Women's Ice Hockey team died more than a year ago, but her legacy lives on with the annual marrow donor drives at Yale.

Wednesday on Good Morning America , a thankful mother of two met her donor, who signed up at Yale in his junior year.

Come April, the Mandi Schwartz Marrow Donor Registration Drive is up and running at Yale.
 
Bulldog efforts have led to more than 3,000 potential donors added to the ' Be The Match ' Registry, with at least 14 donations matching patients with life threatening illnesses.

One of those matches met each other for the first time on Good Morning America.

"I would do it again in a second," said Christopher Magoon. " Even if you don't know anyone who is sick, you might, later down the line."

Magoon is a 2011 Yale graduate. He was inspired to sign up as a donor after hearing Mandi's story, the women's ice hockey team member who was diagnosed with leukemia and died just months before he graduated.

He exchanged e-mails with Sam Rubin from the women's ice hockey team.

"He is someone who is very aware of the fact the he is now, in a way, part of Mandi Schwartz's legacy," Rubin said. "He also understands this is an opportunity. It will help raise awareness for the need of marrow donors so when you have someone like that involved with your cause, it just makes it that much easier to sign up."

The drives are part of a national campaign, started by a Villanova football coach, who convinced Yale Assistant Coach Larry Ciotti to get into the game and save a life.

"We started the drive with the Yale Football team, simultaneously Mandi Schwartz from our Women's Ice Hockey team had a form of leukemia and was in search of a match."

Senior Will McHale, who co-chaired the drive for two years, could potentially be the 15th donor match.

"It's kinda a crazy coincidence that I was a co-chair of the drive and now I'm a potential match," he said. "It's awesome, it would be an incredible experience to be able to say you were able to save someone's life."

Students clearly understand the legacy of the Mandi Schwartz Marrow Donor Drive at Yale.

Chris Dooley, also a senior, has been involved since he was a freshman.

"This legacy will continue and this bone marrow drive will happen every year, and every year we will get as many people to get on the registry as possible," Dooley said. "It's kinda like the gift that keeps on giving."

The field hockey team also joined the football and women's ice hockey teams in organizing the drive every April.

Meanwhile, Magoon spent the last year in China, teaching kids in rural schools with plans to return this fall.

He is considering going into the medical field, in part due to his experience as a marrow donor match.