About Boston College Uplifting Athletes

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Uplifting Athletes network of university chapters brings our mission to life. As part of our outreach program, each university chapter is run by current football student-athletes and adopts a rare disease that has a personal meaning to their team. Players hold special events, fundraising campaigns or awareness drives to attract fans and media, making their rare disease more popular and generating new money for research. The Boston College chapter of Uplifting Athletes raises money and awareness for Ewing's sarcoma, a rare diseae affecting roughly one in 50,000 teenagers. The chapter chose Ewing's sarcoma in honor of teammate Mark Herzlich.

Herzlich recalls May 12, 2009 like it was yesterday. Herzlich had an MRI after complaining of lingering leg pain. The results were surprising: Herzlich had Ewing's sarcoma.

"And now a year later, to be healthy again, it's incredible," Herzlich said in 2010.

After months of treatment and surgery in November of 2009, the best news was confirmed: Herzlich could return to playing football.

"My life is back to where it was before," Herzlich says. "It was emotional."

It's been quite a ride with the treatments, surgery and rehab. But through it all, Herzlich has received so much support from his teammates, fans and from complete strangers.

"The emails, the letters, there have been some many inspirational notes," Herzlich says.

Boston College started an Uplifting Athletes chapter in honor of Mark. In its first year, the chapter raised $121,290 for Ewing's sarcoma. And it wasn't just his teammates that raised the money, opponents, other ACC schools, did as well. Mark considers it a team effort.

"And if some other schools start an Uplifting Athletes chapter, that's even better," Herzlich says.

Mark has been honored for his courage and outreach winning the Disney Spirit Award. To further illustrate his grit and determination, Herzlich returned to the playing field in 2010. Now, he hopes to start a new chapter of his life in the NFL.