Drexel University Athletics
Drexel Lacrosse Graduate Gives Gift of Life Through Be The Match
3/7/2024 11:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse, Drexel Athletics, Dragon Club
Susie Watson and the Trombley Family Met Prior to the Drexel-Lafayette Lacrosse Game
When Josh Trombley was an undergraduate at Drexel in the late 1990's, he played in a lot of memorable games as his team won 12 games his senior year. He probably didn't think that 25 years later a Drexel-Lafayette lacrosse game would mean as much to him as one of those victories. But in late February, Josh and his family made a trip to Easton, Pa., that they will never forget. After graduating from Drexel, Josh began working at St. Leo College in Florida. During his time at St. Leo, there was a staff vs. student challenge to see how many people could join Be The Match and be part of its registry. Be The Match, now known as NMDP (National Marrow Donor Program), is a registry of potential donors from all around the world. Matching through HLA type, NMDP strives to find the best match for those in need of a stem cell or bone marrow transplant. Most recipients are fighting blood cancer like Leukemia, Lymphoma, Multiple Myeloma.
Josh went on with his life after graduation, not really thinking about registering for Be The Match again. He headed back to the Rochester, N.Y., area where he grew up playing lacrosse at Penn Yan. The sport was definitely in his family. One of his sisters was a captain for the Syracuse lacrosse team, another sister played at Hofstra and his brother is currently the head coach at Keuka. His father, Steve, owns Hot Bed Lax, which makes lacrosse goals and netting for colleges, schools and other sporting facilities. Josh and his wife Meg had three children, Talen, Xavier and Ryder. He became a successful businessman, owning a few restaurants in the Finger Lakes area.
Fall of 2022 seemed like just another fall in Upstate New York. That all changed when Josh received an email from Be the Match. At first he thought it may be spam, but when he got another, his life changed. After 25 years on the registry, Josh was asked to donate his stem cells. Susie Watson, a 20-year old college student from Austin, Texas needed a life-saving stem cell transplant to cure her Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.
After two stem cell transplants from Josh's cells, Susie is in remission and is finishing her junior year at the University of Texas at Austin. For a whole year, Josh and Susie wrote back and forth anonymously before they were allowed to exchange contact information. Once they could openly communicate, they began planning to meet in person. In a crazy twist of fate, Susie's long-time boyfriend, who was her primary caretaker throughout her treatment, is also a college lacrosse athlete. Cade Kilbride happens to be a junior defensemen on the Lafayette Men's Lacrosse team, which is where the Dragons were scheduled to play on Feb 20. Susie made the flight from Texas and the Trombley's made the trip on a cold Tuesday night to Fisher Stadium in Easton, Pa. It was an emotional evening for all involved, as they enjoyed dinner, exchanged stories, and watched a competitive lacrosse game. Josh helped save Susie's life, thanks to Be The Match/NMDP. These two former strangers will now have a lifetime bond which is now strengthened by a sport that means so much to the both of them.
To learn more about NMDP and how you could be a marrow or blood stem donor, please visit bethematch.org.
Susie also is the founder and president of a non-profit organization called Thrive Society Foundation, which fundraises for cutting-edge clinical trial cancer research. To learn more about Susie's non profit organization, visit thrivesocietyfoundation.org
Gallery: (3-7-2024) Men's Lacrosse
Josh went on with his life after graduation, not really thinking about registering for Be The Match again. He headed back to the Rochester, N.Y., area where he grew up playing lacrosse at Penn Yan. The sport was definitely in his family. One of his sisters was a captain for the Syracuse lacrosse team, another sister played at Hofstra and his brother is currently the head coach at Keuka. His father, Steve, owns Hot Bed Lax, which makes lacrosse goals and netting for colleges, schools and other sporting facilities. Josh and his wife Meg had three children, Talen, Xavier and Ryder. He became a successful businessman, owning a few restaurants in the Finger Lakes area.
Fall of 2022 seemed like just another fall in Upstate New York. That all changed when Josh received an email from Be the Match. At first he thought it may be spam, but when he got another, his life changed. After 25 years on the registry, Josh was asked to donate his stem cells. Susie Watson, a 20-year old college student from Austin, Texas needed a life-saving stem cell transplant to cure her Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.
After two stem cell transplants from Josh's cells, Susie is in remission and is finishing her junior year at the University of Texas at Austin. For a whole year, Josh and Susie wrote back and forth anonymously before they were allowed to exchange contact information. Once they could openly communicate, they began planning to meet in person. In a crazy twist of fate, Susie's long-time boyfriend, who was her primary caretaker throughout her treatment, is also a college lacrosse athlete. Cade Kilbride happens to be a junior defensemen on the Lafayette Men's Lacrosse team, which is where the Dragons were scheduled to play on Feb 20. Susie made the flight from Texas and the Trombley's made the trip on a cold Tuesday night to Fisher Stadium in Easton, Pa. It was an emotional evening for all involved, as they enjoyed dinner, exchanged stories, and watched a competitive lacrosse game. Josh helped save Susie's life, thanks to Be The Match/NMDP. These two former strangers will now have a lifetime bond which is now strengthened by a sport that means so much to the both of them.
To learn more about NMDP and how you could be a marrow or blood stem donor, please visit bethematch.org.
Susie also is the founder and president of a non-profit organization called Thrive Society Foundation, which fundraises for cutting-edge clinical trial cancer research. To learn more about Susie's non profit organization, visit thrivesocietyfoundation.org
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