On multiple occasions, Rob Wallace has been proud of his son, Jack Wallace ’23. Many of those moments have come on the football field.
In January, Jack did something that brought Rob and his wife, Dina, to tears because their son was showing what it means to be a real-life hero. Jack and Rob flew to Houston where Jack donated stem cells that he hopes will save the life of a 25-year-old woman he has never met.
“He’s a good kid. I think I would have been really surprised if there had been any hesitation on his part,” Rob says. “It really hit home for both of us when we were sitting in Houston, and they had him hooked up to the machines and they were explaining how rare it is to match up with someone. If this is that rare, I can’t imagine being the person on the other end. Then I thought they have to be overjoyed knowing my son was a match.”
Jack knew the odds of matching someone was slim, especially only six months after joining the registry.
“I got a call in October, and they told me I matched with someone,” Jack says. “I didn’t think about it for long. Of course, I wanted to help.”
Originally, Jack was supposed to go in December, but the recipient backed out. A few weeks later, though, Jack got another call, and everything was back on for him to travel to Houston.
“I had the easy part,” he says. “There was some medicine I had to take before heading to Houston that helps increase certain cells and that had me feeling a little off. But the person who is receiving this donation has been dealing with a lot more than me. I just can’t believe I matched so fast, and it is an honor to help.”
Jack was in a position to help after he joined 140 other Marietta students who participated in a marrow donor and stem cell registry drive conducted by Be The Match and Get in the Game in April 2022. All Wallace had to do was provide a cheek swab and his DNA was later identified to match an unknown 25-year-old woman.
“I hope to meet her one day,” Jack says. “I was told we have to wait one year, and if we both agree to meet, then our names and contact information will be shared.”
Jack sat out the 2022 football season while recovering from a back injury suffered during spring practice. He helped the coaching staff break down video, while working on his degree in Political Science. He returned to his home in Columbus and is working but plans to return to campus in the fall to complete his degree and play his final year for Coach Andy Waddle.
“Jack has the opportunity to do something most of us never get the chance to do, save a life and answer someone’s prayer,” Waddle says. “I’ve had the pleasure of coaching nine players who have won All-American Awards at Marietta, but Jack is one of a very few real-life heroes I’ve coached — the other being Darrien Fields, who donated his kidney to his uncle in 2019. I could not imagine being prouder of someone than I am of Jack.”
The program hits close to home for Waddle. His wife, Kerry Jean, had a bone marrow transplant when she was 26 years old. “Had she not had a transplant, she would have likely passed away,” Waddle says. “Statistically the best donors are young healthy men, and I’m a football coach with a team full of young healthy men.”
Waddle organized a Be the Match program in 2016, but last year he reached out to “Get in The Game,” which focuses on college athletes running bone marrow drives on campuses across the U.S.
“Last year, all 10 Ohio Athletic Conference football teams joined forces and partnered with ‘Get in The Game and ‘Be The Match,’ ” Waddle says.
Jack is thankful that Waddle is passionate about the “Be The Match” program.
“A lot of credit goes to Coach Waddle, because, without having him encouraging us to sign up and organize the program, I likely wouldn’t have ended up on a registry like this,” Jack says. “Now I may have saved someone’s life. That was an easy decision for me.”