SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Wofford offensive lineman
Gavin Taylor donated stem cells on November 21 as part of Gift of Life. He joins a growing group of students and student-athletes at Wofford who have made donations in recent years.
A cheek swab done in January at an event in Columbia entered Taylor into the global registry of potential donors. He was contacted in September about being a potential match and the process moved quickly from there.
"It wasn't a hard decision to make," said Taylor. "At the moment you think it is going to be a big commitment, but it really isn't. I knew after thinking about it that is was the right thing to do and help somebody out that needs it."
Five days prior to donating his stem cells in New Jersey, he had to undergo three injections daily to stimulate the production of the cells. The procedure itself took around four hours. The donation is anonymous, with the recipient having the option to initiate contact one year after. All that Taylor knows at this point is that the donation went to a male with leukemia.
A sophomore from West Columbia, South Carolina, Taylor's Brian, played football at Wofford from 1991-94.
Project Life Movement is a national organization that began in 1989 to increase the potential pool of bone marrow, stem cell and tissue donors by testing and registering college students with a simple cheek swab. The organization is based in Charlotte and Wofford alumnus Dr. Danny Morrison serves on their board.
"Once again, a Wofford student-athlete said yes to save the life of a total stranger," said Ann Henegar, executive director of Project Life Movement. "Wofford is small but mighty and is making a huge impact in the lives of patients and families suffering with a blood cancer."
He becomes the fourth Wofford student-athlete in the last seven years to make a donation of bone marrow or stem cells, joining David Howerton '17, Sammy Friedrich '21 and Grant Wollam '21. Since March of 2020, a total of five Wofford students have donated their lifesaving stem cells.
Taylor is also going to be a part of the Campus Ambassador Program with Project Life Movement. Women's basketball player Lilly Hatton is already serving the campus with the program which encourages more students to join the global stem cell registry.
