Charitable Athletes
Before the Bobcats played the Knicks, Emeka Okafor stopped by a public school to try to help a 6-year-old girl suffering from a rare form of acute leukemia. Okafor took a cheek swab test to see if he was a genetic match for the bone marrow she needs to survive. Click through to see other famous athletes' charitable works.
Chuck Burton, AP
Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade presented a South Florida woman with a new house and furnishings for Christmas. Wade's World foundation also vowed to make some payments on the home for the family.
Issac Baldizon, NBA / Getty Images
Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong gave $5 million to his foundation, which helps people affected by cancer. A cancer survivor himself, Armstrong recently announced a comeback to cycling.
J. Scott Applewhite, AP
Michael Jordan pledged $5 million to help upgrade Hales Franciscan High School, a historically African-American all-boys school in Chicago. Considered the greatest player ever, Jordan is a part owner of the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats.
Rick Havner, AP
The University of Arizona received $3.5 million from the Bucks' Richard Jefferson. The veteran forward entered the NBA in 2001 and helped the Nets to two Eastern Conference titles.
Al Bello, Getty Images
A $5 million gift from former NHL star Eric Lindros to support the London Health Sciences Centre is one of the largest one-time donations to the hospital. The 16-year veteran retired from hockey last season.
Ronald Martinez, Getty Images
World No. 1 golfer Tiger Woods gave over $1.3 million to his learning center to help with the education of children. Woods has won 14 major championships, including the 2008 U.S. Open.
Denis Poroy, AP
Through his foundation, tennis great Andre Agassi pledged $1.3 million to help at-risk children. The former No. 1 tennis player won eight Grand Slam titles.
Brad Barket, Getty Images
Former professional wrestler, and now Hollywood movie star, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, donated $1 million to the University of Miami's football facilities renovation fund.
Doug Benc, Getty Images
NBA All-Star Tracy McGrady, a strong voice for Stand up for Darfur, a program aimed at improving education for Sudanese refugees, gave $1 million to the project.
Stephen Dunn, Getty Images
Before the center dropped a dozen on the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night in a Bobcats victory, he dropped by a school in Greenwich Village to try to win something for a little New York girl. Her name is Jasmina Anema. She is six. She is suffering from a rare form of acute leukemia and some of her doctors have suggested she may have no more than two months left to live -- unless someone is found to be a genetic match for her and is willing to donate their bone marrow.
Okafor was one of at least 1,600 people who turned up at P.S. 41 to take a cheek swab test in an attempt to save the little girl's life.
Okafor isn't the only NBA star who has stepped forward for this stricken kindergartner. New Knicks forward Chris Wilcox recently visited Jasmina at the hospital she is in and gave her a Build-A-Bear.
"I have a sister who suffers from Lupus so, unfortunately, she is in and out of the hospital and has undergone chemotherapy," Wilcox told Newsday. "I just can't bear to see a 6-year-old who literally could die if we don't find her a match soon."
Jasmina has undergone daily rounds of radiation and chemotherapy to fight the potentially fatal sickness. Her mother, Theodora, told the New York Daily News that the treatments have caused her daughter's hair to fall out and filled her mouth with sores, sometimes making it impossible for her child to speak. Jasmina's immune system has dangerously weakened.
"The leukemia is growing faster than the chemo can kill it," Jasmina's mom said.
Jasmina, who is black, was just diagnosed with her deadly affliction in January after her mother took her to the doctor for what the mother suspected was a minor toe infection. Blood work tested positive for NK-cell leukemia. Organ donation in the black community has lagged behind that in the general public, despite the black community being in heightened need for donations due to some diseases it suffers from at a disproportionate rate.
Jasmina's particular situation isn't lost on another NBA star, either: Paul Pierce.
"As a father myself, it is awful to see such a little girl have to fight such a challenging disease like leukemia," Pierce said on his Web site, PaulPierce.net. "I encourage the African-American community to join the National Registry to help children like Jasmina."
These NBA guys really do care.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
3-08-2009 @ 3:18AM
David said...
That is so cool!
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3-08-2009 @ 3:26AM
murph207 said...
great story! just another reason to keep my faith in people, and another reason Jim Calhoun runs the best program in the country he molds youn boys into men who care
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3-08-2009 @ 4:39AM
augustojr said...
Here is a clip of Emeka showing up to donor drive
http://www.wpix.com/landing/?Bone-Marrow-Donor-Drive-For-Sick-Kinderg=1&blockID=233186&feedID=1404
Tyson Chandler also posted this in his blog
http://www.tysonchandler.com/node/280
Good luck Jasmina!
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3-08-2009 @ 5:48AM
Bob said...
Super story, Kevin! It's great to see you go for the positive angle this time. Keep using your talent and your forum to shed light on this sort of behavior in sports--there's already plenty shining on the negatives out there. I applaud you, as I hope others will.
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3-08-2009 @ 11:35PM
dcell said...
Great article. More NBA stars should be socially aware..
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3-09-2009 @ 12:44AM
chanin999 said...
Just when you are ready to throw your hands up in disgust with most(I said most, not all) professional athletes, we get to hear something like this. It does restore your faith in man. When most are only concerned with the all-mighty dollar or keeping their illegal activities out of the news, this is very refreshing. I really wish that you gentlemen were the majority, not the minority
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3-09-2009 @ 6:13AM
prettything35 said...
I read this I just wanted to cry, I have twins girls who are 6yrs old. I fell for this mother. One day your baby is fine the next day they are telling you she could have 2 months if she don't get this done. I wish them lots of luck. I hope they find a match
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3-09-2009 @ 7:56AM
gary said...
I myself had been there with my daughter 5 yrs ago it does matter. She had a full bone marrow transplant from a non related donor and there has been no signs of the lekemia back . So I encourage the world to become donors .
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3-09-2009 @ 8:20AM
stareal3 said...
An earlier article I read said this girl was half white. Please people of BOTH colors and mixed colors be tested to help save this girl.
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3-09-2009 @ 8:56AM
Brenda said...
This is all wonderful, but the key thing here is she needs a matching donor. According to this story only 1600 people showed up to be tested.
The NBA stars getting involved, is because they care and were hoping others would follow their lead and be tested.
You don't have to be tested where she lives, find your local clinical or ask your physician.
The chances of a sibling being a match is 1 out of 6. The stakes are much higher when it comes to strangers she needs all the strangers she can get now, her match is out there, get tested, the donation process isn't that bad :)
My brother has 6 siblings, in his case 2 out of the 6 matched. But the weaker the patient gets the less chance they have.
Paul my brother was 54 when he was diagnosed with AML, he didn't make it to his 55th Birthday he died June of 2008 and he had two matching donors and two transplants. The second transplant started working, but his body was too weak to go on.
Please get tested, allow your results to go into the public donation bank, this little girl and many others don't have much time.
God Bless her and her family they have a rough road to walk no matter what the out come is.
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3-09-2009 @ 9:44AM
georgechevy1 said...
That was an admirable thing to do for sure. But one thing confuses me. The statement about donations being down in the blacks even though they have a higher need. So heres the part that I dont get, does the donor have to be black for a compatible bone marrow donation to save this little girl? I hope not and if not the writers should be way more careful how they word that because it reads that way.
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3-09-2009 @ 10:38AM
georgechevy1 said...
Does the donor have to be black?
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3-09-2009 @ 10:47AM
jbrmeyer said...
georgechevy, sadly in the case of tissue and organ donation race & ethnicity can be an issue. Hispanics, American Indians and Blacks do better for a longer time with few rejections if the donations are from their ethnic group. Blood transfusions seem to be the only "transplant" that really is "color-blind".
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3-09-2009 @ 10:49AM
georgechevy1 said...
Thank you for responding. I am a white guy and would be tested to help this child if it would help at all. I'm a dad and it breaks my heart.
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3-09-2009 @ 11:00AM
achubb1234 said...
Every time i read an article like this it keeps my faith in the human race.
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3-09-2009 @ 12:08PM
Hey Handsome said...
Emeka went to college here in Connecticut, so he is well-known in our state. He is an inspiration to us all with his kindness, selfless acts and gentle demeanor. A true role model for all of us, young and old!
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3-09-2009 @ 12:12PM
SEXYGIRL said...
I'll do it
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3-09-2009 @ 12:24PM
anjel said...
Just think. Evin if this sweet little girl dosent win her fight. She is a hero. Becouse she shared her story and is reaching out so many have become donors including my husband and myself. She is saving a lot of lifes in her effort to save her own. That makes her a hero in my world.
Crystalinewings
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3-09-2009 @ 12:34PM
Hello Joe said...
I RECIEVED A LIFE SAVING LIVER IN 1999, SO I KNOW WHAT IT IS LIKE TO BE DYING AND HAVING TO DEPEND ON SOMEONE ELSE. WE NEED MORE ORGAN DONORS OF ALL COLORS, RACES AND CULTURES. EVERYONE NEEDS TO TAKE AT LOOK AT THIS SERIOUS MATTER AND SAY "YES" TO BEING AN ORGAN OR TISSUE DONOR. YOU WON'T NEED YOUR ORGANS IN HEAVEN BUT SOMEONE NEEDS THEM HERE. I HOPE THIS LITTLE GIRL FINDS A MATCH AND CAN RESUME A NORMAL LIFE. MAY YOUR GOD GO WITH YOU.
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3-09-2009 @ 2:21PM
Kathy said...
Now, that is the kind of encouragement I am talking about. What a great example. There was another story about Ben Afflack taking a dying 21 year old to Vegas to gamble and for lap dances. Which says more? Everybody was putting me down because I stated the obvious.....what in the world are we teaching our young people? I wasn't trying to take away from what Mr. Afflack did, I was merely trying to say, wasn't there something with a better influence for our young people growing up?
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