By Melanie Robitaille, Sr. Staff Writer and Graphic Designer
While many watched athletes from across the globe compete in the 2021 Tokyo games, Earl Young, a 1960 Olympic gold medalist, was living his legacy of defeating blood cancer with his Earl Young Team initiatives. EXIT Realty Corp. International had the pleasure of sponsoring one such project at the group’s recent invitational golf tournament.
The inaugural event raised over $100,000 and was held in July at The Stonebriar Country Club in Frisco, TX. EXIT’s Director of Leadership, Bob McKinnon, was in attendance along with Broker/Owner, Paul Reitz, his brother and Sales Representative, Don Reitz, as well as his nephew and Sales Representative, Boo Reitz of EXIT Realty Elite in Southlake, TX. They were joined by nearly 200 participants including University Presidents, Dallas Cowboys football players, former Olympians, and local business people for some fun and friendly competition on one of the hottest days of the year.
“EXIT is a company that really gets involved and does something. I’m impressed by what I learned about EXIT Realty and what all of you do. You get it. You understand what we’re supposed to be doing. We’re supposed to be taking care of folks. It’s an organization like EXIT that can really help make the jumps that need to be made,” Earl explained regarding how, by getting involved, companies can help to grow the donor registry.
In 2011, Earl found out he had Acute Myeloid Leukemia after being unable to shake a stubborn cold. Nine years later, Bob McKinnon would learn that his wife, Shari, had the same aggressive form of cancer. Bob and Earl were introduced through a mutual friend, who knew both had personally been touched by blood cancer and understood the need for bone marrow stem cell donors.
“As it turned out, Earl was treated by the same doctor, in the same hospital, and had his transplant on the same floor as Shari. He and our friend, Ron, helped create a private donor campaign for Shari within the EXIT Nation to find the right donor,” Bob recalled. “Four months later that life-saving match was found. Now, August 15th, 2020, is Shari’s new birthday, the day she received the life-saving marrow stem cells, with a new immune system, donor blood type, and she is cancer free.”
With only four out of 10 patients finding viable bone marrow donors, both Earl and Shari are living examples of why building an extensive donor network is so important. Unfortunately, because of varying medical laws around the world, it can take several years before a recipient can find out who their life-saving donor was, and in Earl’s case that information would take him all the way to Germany to meet the woman who gave him a second chance at life. Since then, he has used his health journey and fame as a catalyst to raise vital awareness across the U.S., and through the Earl Young Team has added 16,000 registrants to the donor list and helped give 62 individuals a new life.
It’s about as close as anyone will come to being a real superhero. It’s also free, painless, and as simple as swabbing your cheek. For more information on requesting a swab kit visit http://earlyoungsteam.com or to host your own donor registry event contact Earl directly at earl@earlyoungsteam.com.
