Vikings defensive end Kenechi Udeze welcomed twin cities soccer teams for a 24-hour “Marrowthon” at Winter Park on Friday to benefit the National Marrow Donor Program Organization (NMDP). And, after being diagnosed with an acute form of leukemia three months ago, Udeze also shared with those in attendance that his leukemia is in remission and that his brother, Thomas Barnes, is a perfect match for a bone marrow transplant.
In an emotional pre-event ceremony, Udeze, flanked by his wife, Terrica, and their four and a half-month old daughter Bailey, as well as former Vikings tight end and president of the Marrow Foundation Doug Kingsriter, thanked those who have given him so much support. He also stressed the importance of becoming educated about cancer in order to form a stronger fight against it.
“That last few months have been up and down, but I feel like with my attitude and with the support of my family, friends and everybody here at Winter Park, there’s no need to be scared,” Udeze said. “I’m perfectly fine and doing things like I used to do and I feel good about everything that’s been happening.”
Udeze, who looked fit and said he hasn’t “had a bad day yet,” also addressed the media on the side after the ceremony. He told reporters that he plans on playing again for the Vikings but he wouldn’t put a timetable on that return.
"That's the least of my worries right now," he said. "The coaches have done a great job reassuring me: number one, making sure you're healthy and making sure that you're okay for the next 50 years of your life. That's all we're focusing on. Football is not going anywhere. And just like football, I'm not going anywhere."
What Udeze was focused on while with the reporters was the tremendous amount of support he’s received from his family, the Vikings organization, former teammates at Southern California and many other friends.
Udeze, who from day one was determined to beat the disease, said he’s treated the disease like the common cold, knowing that one day he would recover and can resume a normal lifestyle.
Friday marked the first “Great American Soccer Marrowthon” and when the event is completed, more than 400 athletes will have participated, all in an effort to support the life-saving work of the twin cities-based NMDP.
All contributions will benefit the NMDP and the Golden Valley Phoenix, which are both 501(c) (3) nonprofit organizations.
Every year, more than 10,000 men, women and children worldwide are diagnosed with life-threatening diseases such as leukemia and lymphoma and do not have a marrow donor in their family. These patients turn to the NMDP Registry of adult donors and donated cord blood to find a match to potentially save their lives.
Since it began operations in 1987, the NMDP has facilitated more than 30,000 marrow and cord blood transplants to help give patients a second chance at life.
The NMDP facilitates unrelated marrow and cord blood transplants as a single point of access for a longstanding collaborative network of national and international leading medical facilities in marrow and cord blood transplantation. The NMDP connects patients, doctors, donors and researchers to the resources they need to help more people live longer and healthier lives. For more information call 1 (800) MARROW-2 or visit www.marrow.org.