Forego a football game to save a life: KSC player Marcel Franke decided to do so. The 29-year-old donated stem cells – and spoke to SWR Sport about his commitment.
In the 2-1 defeat of Karlsruher SC in the top game of the second division against SV Darmstadt 98 last Saturday, central defender Marcel Franke was absent. Instead of getting into duels on the pitch, Franke sat in the stands and watched his teammates. Because there was an important, if not life-saving, reason for his failure: The 29-year-old had undergone a stem cell donation on Thursday – and therefore refrained from playing against his former club Darmstadt. “Of course I spoke to my wife when the call came,” says Franke in the studio at SWR Sport. “But it was clear to us relatively quickly that we were going to do it.”
Registration as a donor still in the time at Fürth
Franke had already registered as a donor with the non-profit organization DKMS six years ago. At that time, the central defender was still playing for the Greuther Fürth game association, which is committed to the fight against blood cancer. During the opening of the 2016 season, hundreds of fans and some players registered as potential stem cell donors.
This is the DKMS
The DKMS is a non-profit organization based in Tübingen that is dedicated to the fight against blood cancer. Since it was founded in 1991, it has organized the Registration of stem cell donors. Its aim is to enable blood cancer patients worldwide to be cured with a transplant. According to DKMS, more than 11 million people have already registered and more than 100,000 donations have been made in 57 countries. Click here to register.
Franke on the donation: It was a “relatively relaxed thing”
Six years later, the call came that he was a possible donor, and a blood test confirmed the match. Since the donation had to be made in October, Franke and the sports management of the KSC looked for a suitable date. The choice finally fell on the week before the game against Darmstadt.
In preparation for the donation, Franke had only trained in moderation in order to be prepared for the procedure. He was injected with a growth factor so that the stem cells could be better transported from the bone marrow into the blood. In an interview, Franke describes the actual intervention, the taking of blood and the return transport of the blood, as “relatively relaxed”. He lay there for three hours and didn’t have to do anything.
Stem cell donation instead of football
After the game on Saturday afternoon, former and current teammates acknowledged that Franke, who can save someone’s life with his donation, is a role model. KSC striker Fabian Schleusener, who gave Karlsruhe a 1-0 lead, paid Franke “huge respect”. The KSC newcomer is always a fine guy who gets “full backing and support from the team”.
Darmstadt’s winning goal scorer Phillip Tietz said: “It’s just very, very honorable of a player.” In this context, he also praised the association for making the donation possible for Franke. “You can only be proud that you see something like that in the foreground and not football.” With a wink, Tietz added that he was glad not to have to attack the “force” Franke in the KSC central defense.
Franke: Anyone in the world can do that
Franke personally does not want to glorify his donation. “It’s actually much bigger to see that the effort I’ve put in can make a difference. […] Many are probably still thinking about the bone marrow donation and a major operation. It’s not really as relaxed as it was on Thursday.” Anyone in the world could do that.
Instead, he wants to return to team training as soon as possible after his absence – because on Wednesday KSC will play SV Sandhausen in the DFB Cup, and next Sunday in the 2nd division against Fortuna Düsseldorf.
