Michael Mushaw '20 first joined the Be The Match bone marrow registry during his sophomore year at Central, encouraged by his football coach. “It’s free,” Michael said. “Why not take five minutes to do it, and you can save somebody’s life.” Around that same time, Michael was also getting to know another person who would change his life, Morgan, a fellow Central student he met on campus. Between classes, football practices, and campus events, their friendship grew into something more, a double devil love story.
Six months after he joined the registry: he was a match for a baby girl in need of a life-saving transplant. In July 2018, Michael donated his bone marrow at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, and it was immediately transferred to a hospital in Washington, D.C., where baby Eleanor was waiting to receive it. One year later, Michael learned that his donation was a success and saved Eleanor’s life. Their first of many meetings happened at a Central football game, where Michael and the Blue Devils battled through an overtime win. That was the beginning of a lifelong friendship!
Over the years, Michael and Eleanor’s families have stayed close, visiting one another in the U.S. and in Europe. Their bond came full circle on September 21, 2025, when Eleanor proudly walked down the aisle as the flower girl at Michael and Morgan's wedding. After earning his degree in Construction Management from Central, Michael began his career with Manafort Brothers Construction, where he continues to build on the same commitment, teamwork, and compassion that shaped his time at Central.
Reflecting on his bone marrow donation journey, Michael remains humble: “Anyone would do the same thing.”
