Staff photo by Tim Barber Luke Davis (53) watches Wednesday practice without pads as he awaits a bone marrow test.Luke Davis patrolled the sideline Saturday at Finley Stadium, out of uniform and in street clothes other than his No. 53 jersey.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga backup linebacker and special teamer didn’t play a single second in the Mocs’ 34-0 win over Presbyterian, but it was OK.
He had already had a full week.
Davis, a 6-foot-2, 215-pound redshirt freshman and McMinn Central alum, was selected to donate stem cells as part of the “Get in the Game: Save a Life” drive started by Villanova football coach Andy Talley. Davis sat out Saturday’s game while recovering from the medical procedure but should be back to his normal routine this week.
Talley began the non-profit foundation in November 2010, two decades after becoming aware of the odds facing those in need of bone marrow transplants. Every four minutes, someone is diagnosed with a blood cancer, meaning tens of thousands of patients diagnosed with life-threatening diseases such as leukemia or lymphoma are in need of a bone marrow transplant, although only half receive one, according to Talley’s website, talleybonemarrow.org.