"Very meaningful:" Milwaukee Wave players, staff join the National Marrow Donor Registry



MILWAUKEE -- Every three minutes, someone is diagnosed with a blood cancer. There's a cure that exists, and now, that cure could actually come from a professional soccer player from Milwaukee.

The Milwaukee Wave soccer team is used to making an impact on the field, and making some saves, but on a recent day during practice, they did something besides just playing soccer.

"No -- I've never done anything like this," Sean Totsch said.

They were trying to make a different impact -- one that could potentially save the life of someone dealing with a blood cancer.



Tenzin Rampa



"I think it's a great cause. For me, personally, I think it's very easy to do and it can be very meaningful, so it's a no-brainer for me," Tenzin Rampa said.

After practice, Wave players and staff joined the National Marrow Donor Registry.

"Definitely a special day. Great to see the Milwaukee Wave front office, the Milwaukee Wave players come out here and support this cause and hopefully having an impact on saving a life one day," Giuliano Oliviero, Wave head coach said.

Giuliano Oliviero



"We do a lot of stuff with each game. We do not-for-profits, so this is a really cool one to be a part of and to really make an impact and to see what we can do," Totsch said.

Players used a special kit to provide a swab of cheek cells. "Be The Match" will then use the results to match any leukemia lymphoma patients in need of a marrow transplant.

The event was set up by "Lindsay's Voice," a local non-profit that raises money for blood cancer research and patient advocacy groups.



For Coach Oliviero, the opportunity to see whether he is a match took on a personal meaning.

"I wasn't too knowledgeable on this subject until recently someone in our youth soccer club actually needed a bone marrow transplant and her younger brother who I coached at Wave camp was a match. It's good to see her recovering and becoming healthy again," Oliviero said.

Vanessa Hood is also healthy again. She is a leukemia survivor and had a marrow transplant from a man in Germany who was a match.



"I can't thank the players enough for coming out here and swabbing and being potential matches themselves. It's wonderful," Hood said.

Hood said she hopes the players' involvement might get others involved, and maybe even save a life.

Vanessa Hood



"These swabs can save a life. It's easy, but the actual follow-through is where, that's where the commitment comes in and knowing that you could be that only match where it really matters, you could really save that person's life and make a really big impact on their families," Hood said.

It's something Wave players and the whole organization were willing to give an assist with.

"The main thing is if we can help someone, somewhere -- the soccer community is small. As you can see, we had a lot of the players willing to stay and help. The most important thing is if we can help one person, then that would be great," Rampa said.



The Wave also had a game where $5 from each ticket sold was donated to "Lindsay's Voice." $9,000 was raised that day.

If you'd like to learn more about becoming a bone marrow donor, or if you'd like to join the registry, CLICK HERE for more information.