University of Minnesota Athletics
Hollins Finds a Fit with Be The Match
4/6/2020 10:23:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By Emily Polglaze, Athletic Communications Student Assistant
Seven years, a full college career, and time with the pros in Europe had all passed when Andre Hollins got a call in summer 2019 to try to save a life.
It had been a long time since he made the pledge, but the answer was clear.
"First, I was kind of confused, because you sign up not really knowing what the odds are that you'll ever be matched to somebody," Hollins said. "But I was like, 'You know what, sure.' It was no skin off my back to go and do this for someone in need. I can be a blessing to someone."
The former Gophers guard first put himself on the bone marrow registry back in 2012 at HopeDay, an annual gathering with Minnesota student-athletes and members and families of the HopeKids organization. Be The Match had a booth at the event, and himself and teammates signed up, but didn't expect much.
When the time finally came, Hollins said that the process was much easier than he thought. Be The Match helped him arrange all of his prep appointments and tests, and when he was ready to donate late last year, they covered his flights from his hometown of Memphis to Minneapolis.
He didn't know much about his perfect match, a 30-year-old man with leukemia. The patient passed away before they could ever connect, and Be The Match was there for Andre then, too.
"It was tough to hear, they didn't make it through," Hollins said. "But one thing that I can say, is that everyone who was there, the nurses who were there when they drew my white blood cells, they reached out to me after they found out that the patient had passed and after I gave my donation. Everybody was just awesome, it was awesome to do that and they made me feel appreciated."
Hollins now serves on the Board of Ambassadors for Be The Match and has heard from families and patients through social media. Their stories have made him certain that he would donate again, "in a heartbeat, no hesitation."
"During that time, they're really not hearing anything but bad news. So for the family and for the patient, having that chance and that hope of, 'Yes, you matched with somebody' … Just hearing that made things a lot better," Hollins said. "That month or two where things are looking up and not grim, that really helps the family and the patient. So being able to do that, I know that I made a difference in someone's life. We can make a difference in each other's lives, no matter the outcome."
His time with Be The Match started as a student-athlete, and Hollins hopes that others will take the opportunities to do the same and give back when they can.
"Help someone else out that needs your help, you could possibly save their life or prolong their life with just a simple donation, and it's nothing painstaking. Just a little bit of time devoted, just like you devote a lot of time to your sport," Hollins said. "Doing things like going to see patients, giving other people encouragement, it really helps and shows you what's really important in the world."
Hollins said he is also focused on advocating for people of color to put themselves on the registry. Recipients are most likely to match with a donor of the same ethnic background, and according to Be The Match, that likelihood is only 23 percent for black patients, and less than 50 percent for other people of color.
In these uncertain times, an online registration and cheek swab are a simple way to help.
"Patients still need donations, and every day, those are some of the planes that are still flying because peoples' lives are at stake," Hollins said. "These patients, they're some of the ones that are at most risk. So this is one of the most, if not the most important time [to sign up]."