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Division I Athlete Shortens Career to Save a Life

By Cheri Cheng | Update Date: Apr 24, 2013 11:23 AM EDT

When most athletes make it on a Division I college sport team, the last thing they want to do if give up their coveted spot. For Cameron Lyle, however, giving up his spot on the University of New Hampshire's Track and Field team became an easy decision when he discovered that he could save a young man's life. Lyle, 21, was barely an adult when he decided to get his mouth swabbed and join the bone marrow transplant registry. Two years later, Lyle received a phone call stating that he could be the perfect match for a 28-year-old man dying from lymphoblastic leukemia. After more tests, Lyle was in fact a perfect match for the cancer patient. Lyle then made the decision that saving a man's life was worth ending his college career.

"When they first told me, I was like 'Ok, cool. I'm definitely going to do it.' After that I kind of went to tell my coach and then I realized slowly that my season was over." Lyle explained. He participates in the shot put and the hammer throw. "It's just a sport. Just because it's Division I college level doesn't make it any more important. Life is a lot more important than that, so it was pretty easy."

Lyle learned that the patient only had six months left to live without a transplant and that a perfect match was about one in five million between two unrelated people. After hearing the statistics and talking with his mother, Lyle knew that saving the man's life was more important.

"It was kind of a no-brainer for a decent human. I couldn't imagine just waiting. He could have been waiting for years for a match. I'd hope someone would donate to me if I needed it," he added.

"My son and I have a pretty funny rapport together so when he tells me things, it's usually in humor. He simply sent me a text that said, 'So I guess I have a chance to save someone's life," Lyle's mother, Chris Sciacca said. "We talked about in five or 10 years, is he going to look back and say 'Damn I wish I went to that track conference' or is he going to say, 'Damn, I saved someone's life."

Lyle, who stands at six foot two inches and weighs 255 pounds, participated in his last event this past Saturday. After he informed his coach, Jim Boulanger, who has mentored him for four years, about his decision to leave the team, Boulanger was nothing but supportive. Although Lyle would not be able to help the team in next month's America East Conference Championship, Boulanger could not be more proud of the young man's selfless decision.

"Here's the deal. You go to the conference and take 12 throws or you could give a man three or four more years of life. I don't think there's a big question here. This is not a moral dilemma. There's only one answer," the coach stated. "I don't have any doubt that he's very compassionate and it was just a given that he'd do it."

Lyle will make the donation at Boston's Massachusetts General Hospital.

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