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Man praised for sacrificing his athletic career for stranger

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 thenelli01

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http://gma.yahoo.com/shot-putter-shortens-career-donate-marrow-183740964--abc-news-topstories.html

 

 

Cameron Lyle, a Division I college athlete in New Hampshire, has decided to shorten his athletic career for a chance to save a life.

 

The University of New Hampshire senior will donate bone marrow Wednesday, a decision that abruptly ends his collegiate athletic career but one that he calls a "no brainer."

 

Lyle, 21, had his mouth swabbed to join a bone marrow registry two years ago in the cafeteria at school. He didn't think any more of it until a few months ago when he got a phone call that he might be a match. He took more tests and discovered a month later that he was a perfect match.

 

"When they first told me, I was like, 'OK, cool. I'm definitely going to do it,'" Lyle said. "After that I kind of went to tell my coach and then I realized slowly that my season was over."

 

Lyle's main events are the shot put and the hammer throw.

 

"It's just a sport," he said. "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 competed in his last competition Saturday and said it was "kind of emotional." His teammates rallied around him to cheer him on.

 

The man who needs his help is a 28-year-old suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Lyle was told that the man only has six months to live without the transplant.

 

Lyle of Plaistow, N.H., said he had been told there was a one in five million chance for a non-family match.

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

 

After he got the call, Lyle knew he needed to speak to his mom and his coach.

 

"My son and I have a pretty funny rapport together so when he tells me things, it's usually in humor," mom Chris Sciacca said. "He simply sent me a text that said, 'So I guess I have a chance to save someone's life.'"

The two sat down and talked through the decision, but Sciacca said it was ultimately a decision that "came from his heart."

 

"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," she said.

 

"I know my son very well and I know where his heart is and I knew that he would make the right decision.

 

"He made his decision. He gave up his college season to do this. He's a gentle giant," Sciacca said of her 6-foot-2-inch, 255-pound son. "He'll do anything for anybody."

 

What Lyle was most nervous about was telling Coach Jim Boulanger, who has been his coach for four years.

Boulanger said that a nervous Lyle came into his office, shut the door and told him he wouldn't be able to throw next month at the America East Conference championship for which he had been training.

 

When Boulanger asked why, Lyle told him and found that his coach was completely supportive.

 

"Here's the deal," Boulanger told Lyle. "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."

 

Boulanger said he's "very proud" of his athlete.

 

"He's very approachable. He's very funny," Boulanger said. "I don't have any doubt that he's very compassionate and it was just a given that he'd do it.

 

"You can't ask for any more out of a person than to help another person," he said.

 

Lyle's mother is just as proud.

 

"I am beyond words proud. He is my hero," Sciacca said. "When your children inspire you to be better people, you know it's come full circle and he's inspired his mom to be a better circle."

 

Lyle will make the bone marrow donation Wednesday morning at Boston's Massachusetts General Hospital. A needle will be used to withdraw liquid bone marrow from his pelvic bone. After the surgery, he will not be allowed to lift more than 20 pounds over his head, which rules out all his athletic events.

 

Lyle and the man have to remain anonymous to each other for at least a year, but can then sign consent forms to release their identities if they want.

 

"I really want to meet him," Lyle said, "and I hope he wants to meet me."

 

 

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Your emphasis is pretty selective though.

Looking at the entire quote: (I have underlined what I consider to be the most important parts)
 

Lyle of Plaistow, N.H., said he had been told there was a one in five million chance for a non-family match.

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


I see no problem with his choice. His use of "I" statements are correct.
He wouldn't want to wait, knowing he would die for lack of a donor. Because he would not want that to happen to him it is rational self interest to go through with the donation.

And lets really look at it... it isn't as though he is giving up a career. Unless something went terribly wrong he will get back to normal and could eventually compete again.
Perhaps he would give more pause if he were staring down the barrel of losing a multi-million dollar football position.

I don't consider myself an altruist and I would likely make the same choice, under the same conditions.

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What is the problem.  He made his own choice.  Since he registered years ago, it's not a spur of the moment thing.  So, he wants to save a life.  Is that really the worst we can say about someone.?

Well, it sounds like he volunteered to donate simply because he sees it as an act in the name of altruism. Just because he chose to donate and thought about it doesn't mean he did it for selfish reasons. He's almost making it out to be that sacrifice itself is heroic. Either that, or he just wants accolades. Notice that his mom said of him "he'll do anything for anyone". Now, I don't know for sure if his reasons are *only* altruistic, but a lot of altruism is implied in this article.

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I think it's pretty pathetic. I'm not one to jump to conclusions about these things, but I see no justification for what he did.

Btw., the reason why there aren't enough donors is the government ban on fair, voluntary exchanges of value when it comes to health care, not people's lack of good will.

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

I see no problem with his choice. His use of "I" statements are correct.

He wouldn't want to wait, knowing he would die for lack of a donor. Because he would not want that to happen to him it is rational self interest to go through with the donation.

I couldn't disagree more. The belief that people ought to sacrifice for strangers, and then expect sacrifice from a whole new set of strangers when they are in need, is the root cause of the evils of government. That is the belief that causes people to oppose voluntary exchanges of value, and prefer sacrifices based on need instead.

How his logic should work, instead, is this: I'd rather take 50 thousand dollars from the guy, for my marrow, than continue my athletic career. That way I know that if I or my family are ever in need in the future, I have 50 thousand dollars invested or in the bank, ready to use. I won't be relying on blind luck, or end up placed on a waiting list behind a guy who has contributed nothing to no one, by a government bureaucracy that operates based on need, not merit.

Edited by Nicky
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Nicky, I agree that the way you describe is ideal and is how it should be.
However, that way is currently illegal and these two men are not hypotheticals.

Under the current flaws and immoral laws that we have I would be willing to donate to someone because I would want the same available should a loved one of mine require it.
And I would understand why someone would choose otherwise. We all react as rationally as we can within our characters to this unjust situation (government controlled bodyparts)

I agree the current state of the laws forces us into impossible and immoral situations.

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I've been registered for years. Never been called. I did it because of a member of this forum I had gotten to know some and her mother was in need of such a transplant. So I bought the cheek swab kit and sent it in and am on the registry. I was touched by what was going on in her life with her mother and when they did find a fairly suitable match for her and the potential donor was willing to proceed... I haven't talked to the member in many years, not since I donated money to her mother church when her mother died not long after the transplant. I assume I did something wrong in doing that, because I haven't heard anything from her since then. That's where the family wanted the money to go since they help with raising money. I didn't see anything wrong with that. But anyways.

You still have to agree to proceed with doing it if called, sometimes you can even meet the person you donated to. I think you are compensated some, all medical expenses paid I am pretty sure. The procedure to get the marrow from donor might not be invasive like getting it from hip bone, but from blood. I haven't kept up with it, just this thread made me think of all this again.

Edited by intellectualammo
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