By Joseph Pelletier, Special to the Register

Samantha MacLean has seen the horrors of acute myeloid leukemia. For two years, she has watched her Yale hockey teammate Mandi Schwartz battle the disease. And she hates it.

“Nobody should have to deal with that,” said MacLean, a senior defenseman. “Not like this.”

Schwartz’s battle with cancer, a hellish rollercoaster of chemotherapy and glimmers of remission, appeared to be nearing an end. She had been in remission for more than a month, and a date was set for a progressive cord blood transplant.

But on Aug. 11, Schwartz, 22, learned the cancer had returned. For the third time, she is in the midst of multiple bouts of chemotherapy.

Watching all of this unfold was MacLean, a friend and teammate, who decided it was time to help Schwartz ride out the latest leg of her journey. And to do it, MacLean was going to do some riding of her own.

Coined “The Ride for 17” (Schwartz’s number), MacLean will bicycle 512 miles in five days to raise money for the Schwartz family and build awareness about bone marrow registry banks and cord blood donation.

Departing today from just outside of Toronto, MacLean will bike through the Niagara region, connecting with the Erie Canal Heritage Bike Trail, and eventually ride the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail into New Haven on Thursday.

“Everybody on the team has been working toward spreading awareness, and I knew this was something I could do,” MacLean said. “I like to get outdoors, and I think this is a good way to help.”

“The Ride for 17” has already raised more than $1,000 in donations, and all of the proceeds will go to the Schwartz family.

“To think of something like this is awesome,” senior teammate Jackee Snikeris said. “It shows (MacLean’s) creativity, her passion for Mandi, and how much she wants to give back. It definitely represents what great character she has.” Continued...

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Snikeris had hoped to join MacLean on the ride, but she faced a scheduling conflict with her upcoming Medical College Admission Test exam.

“I’ll definitely be thinking of Sam out there,” Snikeris said. “And we’re going to try to get a little homecoming for her.”

MacLean and Schwartz have been teammates since 2007, and grew close when Schwartz was first diagnosed with leukemia in December 2008. Following the diagnosis, MacLean knitted her teammate a Yale toque for the impending chemotherapy.

“We took classes together, went on trips together,” MacLean said. “She’s a really quiet girl, but when she came back to campus (in January) she really opened up.”

Schwartz received a wave of support from the Yale community and beyond. Bone marrow drives, fundraisers and donations raised thousands of dollars, and more importantly for Schwartz, thousands of new names for the bone marrow and cord blood donation registries.

“It’s amazing,” Schwartz told ESPN in June. “They’re working so hard to spread the word and it’s making a difference for not only me, but all the other patients out there.”

Junior forward Aleca Hughes has also raised more than $6,000 and added approximately 70 people to the bone marrow donor registry at the Chowder Cup Tournament last month, according to the Yale athletic department.

The Yale Hockey Association donated another $2,000 following Monday’s “Mulligans for Mandi” event, part of its annual Murray Murdoch Golf Outing. The group auctioned off an autographed Boston Bruins jersey and sold raffle tickets.

Schwartz is currently facing chemotherapy sessions, as a transplant can only take place while she is in remission. She was unavailable for comment, but according to MacLean, Schwartz is doing well in the hospital.

Two umbilical cord blood matches, which contain stem cells that can revitalize Schwartz’s blood and immune system, are ready for transplant once she enters remission.

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