The following appeared on NCAA.com, starting on July 15, 2009. To view the orginal posting please click here.

Sometimes, saving a life can be really simple – it's just a matter of getting others involved.

As Union College men's lacrosse player Derek Mayer found out last year, bone marrow donation is one simple way of saving patients with leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma and many other diseases.  

Mayer's mother was diagnosed with leukemia after seeking treatment for what was thought to be another disease, and was given a desperate outlook of one month to live.  She then received a bone marrow donation from the National Marrow Donor Program, and has recovered with no signs of cancer.

“With something as aggressive as she had, where it was life or death, she literally stepped out of the grave and it's given her a new outlook,” said Mayer.  “What's interesting is that when you get bone marrow from a different person, you get new allergies, a new blood type and a whole new immune system.  It's fascinating, it's cool stuff.”

The dire situation prompted the midfielder from Hopewell, N.J., to register himself as a possible donor, also becoming an ambassador for the program.

“I was surprised when I found out how easy the transfer process – just a blood donation – if you're actually selected to donate,” said Mayer.  “I registered myself and became an ambassador so I could administer the registration process myself.”

As a result, Mayer, and then-senior captain Ian Dempsey who was a pre-med major, began a Union College bone marrow registry list last March, recruiting the entire men's lacrosse team and staff, as well as the women's ice hockey and men's soccer teams to sign up.  

Mayer and Dempsey made the process as easy as possible for fellow students, collecting the $25 registration fee through the school's dining services swipe card, rather than asking students for cash from their own pockets.  Anyone between the ages of 18-60 can register, only needing to fill out a short health questionnaire and sign a form stating you understand what registration means.  Then, you are asked to give a swab of cheek cells to be tested for tissue type.

It's very rare to be selected for donation, but the NMDP asks that you stay committed and available because of the need for donors – 70 percent of people who receive a bone marrow transplant are not related to the donor, but chosen from the NMDP.

There are two types of donation, one that requires general anesthesia, but one that is non-invasive and can be done at any major medical center, called Peripheral Blood Stem Cell donation.

“They give you a catalyst so your body starts generating bone marrow in the blood stream, and then they filter it out as they are taking platelets,” said Mayer.  “You're not actually giving any blood.  It's pretty cool.”

After signing up over 100 student-athletes in just three weeks last spring, Mayer has plans of expanding the effort at both Union and other schools.

“Next year, we're going to try and make it really big,” said Mayer.  “I have plans to approach the Liberty League to see I can get other schools involved – it's really simple and with a little bit of money, it's done.”