Mandi Schwartz became a household name for one of the least justifiable reasons. Yet she built upon and utilized her notoriety by all of the most admirable means.
Because of Mandi, we have seen the fledgling women’s hockey community unite over the last year-plus in a manner that quells all accusations of hyperbole.
Because of Mandi, we have seen all 34 NCAA Division I programs, along with countless American youth, Canadian, and international programs prove that they know the true meaning of sports. That is, partaking in a healthy, tasteful dose of frenemy-ship for a few 60-minute spurts, but otherwise acting as teammates in the human race.
Because of Mandi, anybody with even the most negligible ties to hockey, Yale University, or her hometown of Wilcox, Sask., have an idea of what acute myeloid leukemia is. What’s more, they know more about the concept of bone marrow and umbilical cord blood donation, the latter of which helped to prolong Schwartz’s battle before the last of her unexpected relapses.
Because of Mandi, along with her two NHL prospect brothers, this unique story gained valuable traction throughout the continent courtesy of TSN and the NHL Network. Those outlets scored an invaluable assist in helping the Schwartz’s story become another valuable piece of testimony for the NHL’s 14-year-old Hockey Fights Cancer campaign.
Because of Mandi, a fellow Yale puckster in Aleca Hughes had a chance to unveil the fullest extent of her character as she bolstered multiple charity sporting events from within and without the ice house. And if those deeds earn Hughes the 2011 BNY Mellon Wealth Management Hockey Humanitarian Award at this weekend’s Men’s Frozen Four, it will indubitably be an emotional acceptance speech. But hopefully, she will take comfort in the notion that Schwartz will be applauding her from her new seat in the Ultimate Skybox.
Because of Mandi, a fellow Yale athlete in field hockey’s Lexy Adams offered her bone marrow to another cancer patient last December.
Because of Mandi, another 1,624 other prospective bone marrow donors have tried their luck over the first two annual drives on the Yale campus. Three of them have likewise proven a match for someone in need. And odds are there will be more to come after the third annual drive is held two weeks from Thursday.
Because of Mandi, and the mere mind-boggling length of her 28-month saga, present and future patients confronting similar ailments have a reference point to stoke the fighting spirit while the cure comes closer by the second.
Because of Mandi, and the way she and her immediate allies used the new media to rapidly cut down the average degree of separation in the world, odds are awareness of this rare and complicated illness will only spread faster and farther.
Because of Mandi, we know to be on the lookout for cancer combatants who simply will not fold shop, because she never did. So why would they? And why would those who know they can help stay on the sidelines after all they’ve learned?
Because of all this –and by basic moral logic in general- Mandi naturally deserved a victorious conclusion to her protracted and volatile ordeal. Nobody wanted to end up writing or reading any of what presently occupies this column.
But because of Mandi, and her exemplary tandem of doggedness and likeability, others in a similar plight will one day achieve the fate they deserve. Because of that, we only wish we could then borrow a moment of her restful time to exchange a high-five.
-Al Daniel
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