MARSHALL, Texas (9/15/11) – The old man shuffled past him,
noticeably weak. He was completely bald and had no eyebrows, but he
could at least smile.
The sounds of children playing were all around him, yet the voices
were of those who also had lost every hair on their head and who
ran about with pale looks and deep-set looks in their eyes. But
other than outward appearance, one would think you had stumbled
onto a group of kids playing on a sunny day in a school yard
playground.
It was at that moment last February that James Fugate realized he
had entered a world that was entirely different from the one
outside the walls of the oncology unit at Baylor Medical Center in
Dallas. The sounds were right, but the sights were something he
would never forget.
It certainly wasn't what he was expecting the day he walked into
the old Bennett Student Center on the campus of East Texas Baptist
University and signed up – almost on a whim – to become
a bone marrow donor. It wasn't what he expected when he was whisked
onto a plane and flew about 20 minutes from Longview to Dallas when
it was determined he had proven to be a match for a nameless,
faceless person in need of his bone marrow.
But when he walked into the cancer center and saw the old man and
then the kids, all fighting for their lives but living as much as
they possibly could, Fugate was hit with the reality that despite
all the decades of medical advances and the increase of knowledge
and skill among medical personnel, cancer remains the
second-leading cause of death in the United States today, trailing
only heart disease.
For a 6-4, 290-pound offensive lineman preparing to enter his
junior season at ETBU, it was as if someone had punched him in the
face. As he made preparations to donate his marrow, the soft tissue
found inside bones that produces red blood cells and is also vital
to the heath of the lymphatic system, with tests and needles and
all kinds of medical procedures just to make sure he himself was
healthy enough to even donate, Fugate was faced with the reality he
was, on some level, becoming part of a daily fight between life and
death in America.
And based on a current shortage of bone marrow, unfortunately,
death sometimes has the upper hand.
"The sad part of all this is that there just isn't enough bone
marrow donations," Fugate says. "They are really struggling to keep
up a supply and then there's the deal of having to find the perfect
match. I had no idea what to expect, but when I saw that man and
those little kids I was touched deeply inside knowing that with
everything going on in our lives, we have so much to be thankful
for with our health. I saw people who are fighting a battle in
their lives just to see the next day, in a lot of cases. My thought
was, why do I take one minute for granted, whether it's being able
to go to college or play football?"
Unlike a lot of potential donors, Fugate was determined to be a
match rather quickly. The patient he was linked to – Fugate
doesn't know his name, or even where he lives – had two
potential matches found, a twin and James Fugate. Unfortunately,
the twin didn't exist, so Fugate was the match.
After the actual procedure, which took about seven hours, Fugate
began having doubts and worries. What if he got the dreaded call
that the man had died? What if he wasn't a match, as had been the
case with two other attempts at a transplant for this particular
patient? What if the man's body rejected the marrow again, and what
if another match wasn't available?
It was too much to think about. Fugate was only promised a
one-month report, a six-month report and then a one-year report.
After one year, if the patient so desired, he could request a
face-to-face meeting. But Fugate found that he couldn't wait. He
kept texting his "Because I Care" recruiter, Scott, searching for
any information he could find.
"It helped me that I could keep a journal that I just wrote down
every thought I had through the whole process," Fugate said. "It
still helps me today. I also understand that this is completely in
God's hands. God showed me early on that this wasn't my deal, that
it really wasn't my marrow to give. But even with all that, I
couldn't stop thinking about him. I texted Scott every day, two or
three times a day, needing to get an update."
Finally, the one-month date arrived and it was determined the
patient's body had not rejected the transplant. Fugate was also
told the man was attending rehab, which meant he could physically
do things he couldn't do before.
Today, Fugate admits he's a little on edge because it's been seven
months and he hasn't received an updated report. He's been told
that doesn't necessarily mean anything, but the worries still
exist.
Football has been a release for him. For most bone marrow donors
it is advised to set aside at least two weeks to recuperate
physically following a procedure. Fugate gave it three days. The
worrying and the anxiety from just not knowing about the patient
drove him into the arms of the Tiger weight room, and he began to
try and recover physically as he always has – working out and
focusing on football.
He went through the complete spring training period with the
Tigers, finishing in the two-deep tackle rotation. But every day,
he dreaded the call. And every day, he thought about what he'd seen
during his trips to the cancer center.
"I recommend that everyone go and spend just one day in a cancer
unit," he says. "It will shake your world. I am so blessed to be
able to play football. The people there, they are fighting every
second for their life. Anybody who struggles with being happy, of
little things that we think are important, needs to go spend some
time with those little kids or other patients. Nothing in this
world overshadows that."
Fugate stresses that through his experience of being a bone marrow
donor that God was also showing him something about himself.
"This has taught me something, sure," he says. "It's taught me to
not let suffering affect me. It was a long summer for me
personally. There have been some tough times. But none of it is
what these people are going through. I just pray that all this
helps, but it is out of my hands. And there is a lot of comfort in
that."
ETBU head coach Mark Sartain nominated Fugate for the annual Joe
and Marilyn Hogue Servant Leadership Award, an honor that was given
to Fugate during last spring's athletic banquet. The award is
presented to ETBU student-athletes who "have displayed, not only
the highest levels of character, academic achievement, and
commitment to their athletic teams, but have gone above and beyond
through acts of Christian service to fellow students, university
family and community."
Sartain counseled Fugate through the entire process and has been
touched by his player's compassion and sacrifice.
"Not one time during this whole experience did James ever want any
recognition for himself," Sartain said. "As a matter of fact he was
afraid of it. He will not talk about it unless he is asked. His
spirit of humility is genuine. What he has done, no matter what
happens from here on out, is set an example for Christ. As his
coach, I couldn't be more proud of a young man."
Fugate does downplay his role, seeking to point all attention
toward the well-being of his match and giving all glory and control
to God. But he admits there is a big fear he also struggles with
outside of just not knowing what the future holds.
"I struggle with the prospect of meeting him one day," he says.
"My prayer is that I don't want to be thanked. My prayer is just
that I want him to live. I didn't do this for me. I did it for God,
because I felt it was something God wanted me to do. I want for
this fellow man to live. I'm not the one he should thank, because
like I said, it's not mine to give away. God is our Creator and
owns all things, it is just my desire to do His will."
To that end, Fugate said representatives from "Because I Care,"
including his friend Scott, are scheduled to be in attendance at
ETBU's Oct. 15 homecoming game against Mississippi College in
Ornelas Stadium. There, they will seek possible donors for future
bone marrow transplants, and Fugate encourages anyone who is
willing to consider the possibility.
"It's changed my life," he says. "I try to wake up every day and
thank God for my health and for my life. We had a tough practice
the other day and at the end all I could see was the looks in those
little kids' faces, that man as he walked through the cancer
unit…and that gives me strength."
ETBU's James Fugate: "My life has changed," following bone marrow donation
Sep 15, 2011