McCombs: USCB pitcher gives up mound to help an ill child

Jason Boulais is a hero.

The word is overused these days, particularly when it comes to athletics.

But make no mistake, Boulais deserves the title.

If you don't know the story, Boulais, a pitcher for the USC Beaufort baseball team, is a match for a young boy in France who is in need of a bone marrow transplant.

Boulais isn't just a match -- he is the boy's best match, his best chance at survival.

So the senior from Cocoa Beach, Fla., will have a surgical procedure sometime in April that may end his baseball career.

"It's a young kid, he's only gotten to live a little bit of his life," Boulais said Monday. "He deserves to live a lot more of it."

'MORE IMPORTANT THINGS'

Boulais didn't set out to be a hero.

He came to the Lowcountry to play baseball and get an education. Then one day last October, he was on his way to the library when someone stopped him and asked, "Do you want to save a life?"

Be The Match Registry had a tent set up on campus looking for potential bone marrow donors. A "yes" answer simply meant a quick swab inside Boulais' cheek and the likelihood he'd never hear from them again.

But he did.

In February, he got a call saying he might be a match. Then after some more bloodwork, it was confirmed.

According to Be The Match, 1 in 560 potential donors are matches.

Boulais was the one.

There was a catch. Saying "yes" would mean Boulais would miss several weeks of playing time, possibly the rest of his final season.

It was a no-brainer.

"I never really gave it a second thought to say 'no' to donate to the kid," Boulais said. "Giving someone a second a chance at life is a lot more important than me going out there and playing five more games. It is my last year, it is my last shot, but there are more important things out there for other people."

'IT'S AWESOME'

Bryan Lewallyn, the Sand Sharks' head coach, recalled his reaction when Boulais told him he may need to miss some time.

"Hell yeah," Lewallyn said.

The coach gave him his full support.

"Honestly, I don't know if I can put it in to words," Lewallyn said of Boulais. "Proud would be an understatement. These guys come here, and their parents entrust them to me. To be associated with a guy like Jason who goes out of his way to do something that he'll probably never reap the rewards or benefit of, I don't know that I can put it into words, to be honest."

The coach has trouble talking about Boulais' commitment without becoming emotional. The father of a small daughter, Lewallyn said he can't even put himself in the shoes of the parents of the boy Boulais is helping.

"I have a daughter, a little girl, she ..., you know ... give me a second," Lewallyn said, collecting his emotions. "Going home and seeing her, and realizing what Jason is doing for somebody else ... it's awesome."

SIMPLE DECISION, BIG IMPACT

Of course, there's always the chance Boulais' gift won't help the boy.

The boy's body could reject the donated marrow.

But that doesn't change the importance of what Boulais is doing.

Raising awareness of the need for donors could be, in the long run, beneficial for many more people who need a transplant.

"Talking about awareness -- you promote breast cancer awareness, but everybody is aware of breast cancer," USC Beaufort sports information director Justin Jarrett said. "But I didn't know anything about this. Bone marrow donation, this is all new to me."

Boulais realizes more donors are needed.

"I kind of want to bring it out to people I know and spread the word to see if they want to help save a life, too," he said. "I feel like there are a lot more chances for someone to help save a life, too, and they don't even know it."

If there are any doubts Boulais' actions have influenced anyone else to make the same commitment, look no further than his coach.

When Be The Match is back on campus Wednesday, "I'll be over there, for sure," Lewallyn said. "And I'm going to encourage our guys and let them know, if you do it, it's a commitment."

Lewallyn said it's always a goal that his players become productive members of society when their playing days are through.

Boulais didn't wait that long before he became a hero to a little boy.

And he did it with a simple decision to put someone else first, to help someone, to say, "yes" and give up a small amount of his time.

"I've probably walked by that tent before and done nothing," Lewallyn said. "It's just a choice. The biggest thing is educating people how simple it is and how big of an impact you can have from such a simple decision."

This story was originally published March 30, 2015 at 5:33 PM with the headline "McCombs: USCB pitcher gives up mound to help an ill child."