In Review

A moment of inspiration by a Rochester football player may help a complete stranger battle a deadly disease.

Nicholas (Nick) Balch ’19, a biology major from Wilmette, Illinois, found out last winter that his bone marrow was a perfect match for an anonymous patient who has been diagnosed with a life-threatening disease.

Balch, a four-year member of Rochester’s offensive line, was identified and made the donation through Be the Match, a national nonprofit organization that brings together potential donors to help patients diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma, and other diseases. First screened a year ago, Balch found out last November that his marrow was a potential fit. After further tests, he made the donation at the Medical Center in January.

He may not meet the recipient, at least not for a few years, but he says many people have helped him find success as a Rochester student and he wanted to help others in turn.

“There are so many people who helped me to be here,” he says. “This is a way to help someone else in a similar way.”

According to the organization, only one in 400 donors will be a match. The odds improve to one in 200 donors when athletes register. That’s part of the reason first-year head coach Chad Martinovich has worked to support the organization, first during a nine-year tenure at MIT. When he took over the football program at Rochester, he launched a screening program on campus. Balch, who as a biology major has had internships and research positions that include a summer at Johns Hopkins University doing pancreatic cancer research, helped organize the first screening last April, the one in which he was first identified as a potential donor.

“We did this during all of my years at MIT,” Martinovich says. “We never had a perfect match.”

The effort is the latest in a long-standing commitment to community service by the football program. For years, Yellowjacket players and coaches have worked with Camp Good Days and Special Times, a camp in the eastern suburbs of Rochester for children diagnosed with cancer.

The donation was part of a busy year for Balch and other members of the Yellowjacket football team. With a new coaching staff in place last spring, Balch and his teammates adapted to the offensive philosophies of assistant coach Adam Griggs and Martinovich.

“They wanted our experience and skills to help the younger guys to learn, to grow, and to improve,” Balch says.

He played every position on the line, starting at center, but also seeing time at guard and tackle. He was honored by both the University Athletic Association and the Liberty League with selection to their postseason all-star teams.

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Dennis O’Donnell is director of communications for the Department of Athletics and Recreation.