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Football and Track & Field's Hilferty Donates to NMDP to Save a Life
Since spring 2018, the King's College football team has hosted its annual National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) drive in Monarch Court on campus. Members of the King's Campus Community participate each year, swabbing their cheeks and filling out forms to join the NMDP registry.
This fall, senior kicker and thrower Delaney Hilferty received the call that she was a match after joining the registry her first year at King's in 2022. She is now the second Monarch student-athlete to find out she was a match for someone on the registry as Kyleigh Dunworth ('25) donated in March 2023.
"With being a part of football, the team was handling getting as many people as possible to join the registry, so I just did it not expecting to be matched," said Hilferty. "I personally haven't had any family members or close friends struggle with being diagnosed with cancer, although I am close friends with people who have lost loved ones from it. It honestly doesn't feel very different, but being able to make it possible for someone to hopefully live longer was truly an honor. I truly just wish him and his family the best in the next step of his treatment."
Many college students begin their final preparations for their return to campus in early August, especially fall student-athletes that return to campus to begin preseason training in mid-August. Amid her final moments of summer, Hilferty received the call from the NMDP about being a potential match. After confirming she would gladly continue the process to donate, Hilferty completed a blood test to make sure she was definitely a match and was provided with the next steps in the process.
As she continued to learn more about the donation process, Hilferty noted that there are two types of possible procedures with donation. A majority of donors provide a peripheral blood stem cell or PBSC donation, while the remaining minority, including Hilferty, donate bone marrow from their pelvic bone through a surgical procedure. This even included periodic blood tests leading up to the procedure to make sure that Hilferty remained an ideal donor.
"It turned out that the person I had matched with was at a serious stage of the disease that he needed the direct bone marrow, which didn't stop me from donating," added Hilferty.
After checking all of the boxes and passing with flying colors, Hilferty and her mom traveled to Washington, D.C. for her procedure on Monday, November 4th following the team's thrilling victory over Delaware Valley on November 2nd. Hilferty's procedure began at approximately 7:00 a.m. that Monday morning, and after about 45 minutes and the team successfully extracted three full bags of bone marrow, Hilferty woke up and stayed at the hospital for observation. A few naps to recharge and a final evaluation later, Hilferty was discharged at 8:00 p.m. that Monday evening and made her journey back to Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
Hilferty returned to classes on Tuesday and began her rehabilitation and recovery procedures. Despite some minor side effects, Hilferty is progressing well and returning to her daily routine.
"For anyone who is considering adding themselves to the registry, I would suggest it," stated Hilferty. "It is truly simple to be added to the registry as it just takes getting your cheek swabbed and filling out a short survey. The chances alone of being matched are slim, but if you were given the chance to help someone possibly continue their life it's very rewarding."
Hilferty was sidelined for this past weekend's game at Albright while she continued her recovery process, but the experience has been positive for Hilferty and something that Head Coach Mike Cebrosky hopes will encourage others to join the registry.
"We as a King's College football program hope that Delaney's story will inspire others to get in the game and save a life," said Cebrosky. "Football is a team game, but life is the big team game!"
King's football plans to host their annual event in support of NMDP this upcoming April in Monarch Court, weather permitting.
"If I was given the chance to donate again, I would say yes over and over again," commented Hilferty. "As long as I stay healthy and am still eligible to donate I would. While at the hospital I was given the chance to ask if they have had people donate more than once. They said it's very rare but there have been a few."
For more information on the NMDP (formerly Be the Match), visit their website at https://www.nmdp.org/.
This fall, senior kicker and thrower Delaney Hilferty received the call that she was a match after joining the registry her first year at King's in 2022. She is now the second Monarch student-athlete to find out she was a match for someone on the registry as Kyleigh Dunworth ('25) donated in March 2023.
"With being a part of football, the team was handling getting as many people as possible to join the registry, so I just did it not expecting to be matched," said Hilferty. "I personally haven't had any family members or close friends struggle with being diagnosed with cancer, although I am close friends with people who have lost loved ones from it. It honestly doesn't feel very different, but being able to make it possible for someone to hopefully live longer was truly an honor. I truly just wish him and his family the best in the next step of his treatment."
Many college students begin their final preparations for their return to campus in early August, especially fall student-athletes that return to campus to begin preseason training in mid-August. Amid her final moments of summer, Hilferty received the call from the NMDP about being a potential match. After confirming she would gladly continue the process to donate, Hilferty completed a blood test to make sure she was definitely a match and was provided with the next steps in the process.
As she continued to learn more about the donation process, Hilferty noted that there are two types of possible procedures with donation. A majority of donors provide a peripheral blood stem cell or PBSC donation, while the remaining minority, including Hilferty, donate bone marrow from their pelvic bone through a surgical procedure. This even included periodic blood tests leading up to the procedure to make sure that Hilferty remained an ideal donor.
"It turned out that the person I had matched with was at a serious stage of the disease that he needed the direct bone marrow, which didn't stop me from donating," added Hilferty.
After checking all of the boxes and passing with flying colors, Hilferty and her mom traveled to Washington, D.C. for her procedure on Monday, November 4th following the team's thrilling victory over Delaware Valley on November 2nd. Hilferty's procedure began at approximately 7:00 a.m. that Monday morning, and after about 45 minutes and the team successfully extracted three full bags of bone marrow, Hilferty woke up and stayed at the hospital for observation. A few naps to recharge and a final evaluation later, Hilferty was discharged at 8:00 p.m. that Monday evening and made her journey back to Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
Hilferty returned to classes on Tuesday and began her rehabilitation and recovery procedures. Despite some minor side effects, Hilferty is progressing well and returning to her daily routine.
"For anyone who is considering adding themselves to the registry, I would suggest it," stated Hilferty. "It is truly simple to be added to the registry as it just takes getting your cheek swabbed and filling out a short survey. The chances alone of being matched are slim, but if you were given the chance to help someone possibly continue their life it's very rewarding."
Hilferty was sidelined for this past weekend's game at Albright while she continued her recovery process, but the experience has been positive for Hilferty and something that Head Coach Mike Cebrosky hopes will encourage others to join the registry.
"We as a King's College football program hope that Delaney's story will inspire others to get in the game and save a life," said Cebrosky. "Football is a team game, but life is the big team game!"
King's football plans to host their annual event in support of NMDP this upcoming April in Monarch Court, weather permitting.
"If I was given the chance to donate again, I would say yes over and over again," commented Hilferty. "As long as I stay healthy and am still eligible to donate I would. While at the hospital I was given the chance to ask if they have had people donate more than once. They said it's very rare but there have been a few."
For more information on the NMDP (formerly Be the Match), visit their website at https://www.nmdp.org/.
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