Thursday, October 10, 2024
By Rich Palzewic
Sports Editor
DE PERE – Carly Cerrato won a girls’ basketball state championship with De Pere High School in 2012 as a freshman, but it’s most likely not what she’ll be remembered for most.
Cerrato, also a four-year player a UW-Stevens Point, recently donated blood stem cells to a male individual battling leukemia as part of the Be The Match program.
The donation, which took about eight hours to complete, will give the young man Cerrato’s healthy stem cells.
“It feels amazing to give somebody the chance to live a long life because of what I did,” said Cerrato, who signed up for Be The Match about three years ago. “They took a cheek swab and my basic information – it was that simple.”
Cerrato said she got an email this past January saying she was a potential match.
“I was on my way to UW-River Falls for a game when I got the email,” she said. “They take like the closest 40 people who might be potential matches and go from there. You can say no, but I responded saying I was interested. Once I received the email, it was a no-brainer to donate – I’m healthy.”
According to the Be The Match website, one in 430 registered donors will go on to save a life.
“Since March, I had a few blood tests to see if I was the best match and donated (the week of May 18). Be The Match was there with me through the whole process and set up all my appointments. Everything was paid for through insurance – I simply showed up and donated.”
Cerrato donated in Madison at the UW hospital over two days.
“It’s like donating plasma,” she said. “I laid in a hospital bed with a bigger needle in my left arm, and I couldn’t move that. My right arm had a regular IV in it and could move. The first day took five hours, and the second day took three. I was in my own room with a television. The most difficult part was having to go to the bathroom after four hours.”
Cerrato said she was tired after the first day but recovered quickly.
“The nurse told me I wasn’t doing any physical activity, but my heart was doing lots of work,” she said. “After the first day, I drove back home and worked that night. The second day I was tired as well, but after a day’s recovery, I was fine.”
If things go well with the transplant, she said there’s a possibility to meet the individual she donated to.
“After a year, if we both consent, it could happen,” said Cerrato. “I don’t know when the transplant is happening, but I will find out if it’s successful. They wipe out all of the individual's cells and replace them with my cells. There’s always the chance it won’t work, either.”
In 26 games this past season for the Pointers, Cerrato averaged 7.8 points and 2.2 rebounds per game.
She ended her four-year career at Point with 154 made three-pointers, fourth-best in program history.
“I originally didn’t want to play college athletics, but I decided to play volleyball my freshman year,” said Cerrato, who plans to pursue a master’s degree in school social work. “I realized my heart missed basketball, so I played the last four years and didn’t play volleyball anymore. Division III athletics is lots of fun – comparable to high school.”
