University of Tennessee Athletics
#SAday16: Berry Brothers Lead Bone Marrow Registry Drive
April 06, 2016 | Football
Tennessee football celebrates National Student-Athlete Day with one of our favorite stories of the year. Brothers Elliott Berry (linebacker) and Evan Berry (defensive back/return specialist) teamed up with fellow UT student Makayla Clauseen to lead the Be The Match Bone Marrow Registry Drive back in February.
By Brian Rice
UTSports.com
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Elliott and Evan Berry witnessed first-hand how fighting and beating cancer can change a life as older brother and Kansas City Chief Eric Berry came back from a battle with Hodgkin's lymphoma to win NFL Comeback Player of the Year.
Fellow Tennessee student Makayla Claussen lived that battle herself, fighting a rare blood cancer while a sophomore at UT.
The Berrys and their football teammates volunteered their time on Saturday at the Be the Match on Campus Bone Marrow Registry Drive, an event that Claussen helped organize at the Lauricella Center inside Neyland Stadium.
"It had always been my vision to do a huge drive," Claussen said. "The opportunity came up with the Berry brothers to do a UT football drive. We decided to go together and do this drive."
The UT chapter of Be the Match on Campus partnered with the VFL program to host the event at Neyland Stadium. Once VFL Coordinator Antone Davis told the Berry brothers about the event, they were all in.
"Seeing it first-hand made me more aware," Elliott Berry said. "When you hear about people with cancer, you don't think about the whole spectrum of everything that goes on. Once you see it, it opens your eyes and makes you want to figure out what you can do to help."
In this case, what they could do to help was encourage those in attendance to sign up for the National Bone Marrow Registry. To sign up, all participants had to do was fill out paperwork and undergo a simple swab of the inside of the cheek. The participant's profile goes into the national registry, which matches patients in need of a bone marrow transplant with potential donors.
Once a person is on the registry, their profile remains until a potential match is made, whether it is in months or years down the line.
"It doesn't cost you anything to help save a life," Evan Berry said. "It's a simple cheek swab. I feel like it's my duty as a citizen to help save a life."
It was a proud feeling for the Berrys to watch as their teammates assisted in the signup.
"They understand that it's not just about football, any cancer is bigger than football and it's a situation you have to deal with in real life," Evan Berry said. "Everyone has someone in their family that has been affected by cancer or is going through it currently and understands how important this is."
Claussen, who will graduate from Tennessee in May, a year later than she had initially planned because of her illness, was just as proud of the response from members of the community that came out to sign up for the registry.
"It's inspiring, it's humbling, it's rewarding because I feel like I'm giving back to the community," Claussen said. "Because of my history, I can never go on the registry, I can never give blood, but I'm able to use this as a platform to give back where I can't."
Not only did the Volunteers help out with the event, Elliott Berry made sure that many of them signed up for the registry as well. His passion for getting teammates to participate was inspired by a text from Eric earlier this month.
"I wanted them to understand that sometimes, it's not about you, it's ok to do a good deed," he said. "A few weeks ago, by brother sent me a text that said `Don't be afraid to do a good deed,' and I feel like this is one of those situations where you shouldn't hesitate to do a good deed."
