At a March 2013 Blues game, long-time St. Louis Blues fan and season-ticket holder, Michael Hellrich, registered at a Be The Match marrow donor drive in Mandi’s honor. Four years later in 2018, he courageously embraced the opportunity to donate to an AML (acute myeloid leukemia) patient in need, Regan Brown.  

While Michael did not know who the recipient of his donation would be at the time, he had been inspired by Jaden and the St. Louis’ Blues commitment to honor Mandi’s legacy and join Be The Match. He knew Mandi’s story and the potential impact an individual could have through joining the national marrow registry. So when his phone rang informing him that he was a 10 out of 10 perfect match for a young women in need, he stepped up to the plate to donate. 

Regan was diagnosed with AML shortly after graduating from high school. In the wake of her diagnosis an extended community rallied in support of her fight against cancer and her prayers were answered when the one in a 30 million match, an anonymous Michael Hellrich, came through to donate. 

In the months that followed Regan’s courageous treatment and transplant, she often thought of Michael, the anonymous individual at the other end of the donation. And similarly Michael eagerly tried to stay informed on Regan’s health and progress. But it wouldn’t be a year later that Michael and Regan started corresponding and finally met at the hockey rink. 

Regan’s appreciation for Mandi’s journey and impact ran deep. She recognized how Mandi’s journey, the Schwartz family, and the Blues’ commitment to supporting the family inspired Michael to join Be The Match and ultimately follow through with his donation. 

Mandi’s legacy continues to inspire marrow donor registrations and donations.  

Learn more about marrow donation today! 

• NMDP (formerly known as Be The Match) 
• Canadian Blood Services

American golfer Billy Walthouse and the Mandi Schwartz Foundation are pleased to announce a partnership for the 2019 Canadian Mackenzie Tour. Walthouse qualified for the Mackenzie Tour this spring at the Ponte Verde, Florida Qualifier and is in his first full season on the Canadian tour.

In his junior year at the University of Rhode Island, shortly after his grandparents attended Yale’s University’s “White out for Mandi”,
Walthouse participated in cheek swab on the URI Campus. Later that year he got a phone call that he was a possible donor match. The second call never came to let him know that he was a definitive match, but the experience led him to want to be part of the team promoting the
Mandi Schwartz Foundation.

Walthouse said, “I have seen the amazing legacy that the Mandi Schwartz foundation is creating everyday by saving lives through stem cell matching. My family has long been supporters of Mandi and the entire Schwartz family. I am extremely honored to wear the logo and help promote the cause. I am from a large hockey family and I love the culture of the entire hockey community, especially in Canada.”

On select days throughout the season, Walthouse will be wearing a combination of the Mandi Schwartz Foundation logo as well as a custom logo designed by Black Helicopter
Creative. The second logo was created for St. Louis Blues goalie Jake Allen to wear in honor of Mandi and the work that her foundation has accomplished. The logo is also a nod to the Schwartz family’s history with the legendary Notre Dame Hounds. Mandi’s brother Jaden plays for the St. Louis Blues and currently has 13 goals in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Her other brother, Rylan is a professional hockey player in Germany for the Bremerhaven Penquins.

Carol Schwartz commented, “ We are so happy to have Billy promoting Mandi’s foundation and stem cell matching across Canada this summer.” Rick Schwartz said, “I am really happy to have Billy doing this and it will be fun to follow him this summer while the boys hockey seasons are over.” Mandi Schwartz was a Canadian hockey player that played hockey for Athol Murray Notre Dame in Saskatchewan and Yale University. She lost her battle with leukemia in 2011. In Mandi’s memory, a teammate created the Mandi Schwartz Foundation. Every year, it hosts bone marrow drives, where people can get swabbed and added to the registry, in hopes of being someone’s perfect match. Since the foundation launched, there’s been 57 matches from 7,000 people who registered, arguably making it one of the most successful medical campaigns of its kind.

Billy Walthouse is a 23 year old American golfer from Longmeadow, Massachusetts. He played his collegiate golf at the University of Rhode Island. Walthouse recently made it through the first round of the US Open qualification and moves on to Sectionals on June 3 from which he hopes to play at Pebble Beach.

For further information, please email bwalthouse4@gmail.com.

Jaden Schwartz, a sophomore forward from Colorado College, has signed an entry-level contract with the NHL-leading St. Louis Blues.

Exactly two weeks after making no additions before the NHL trade deadline, the injury-plagued Blues will benefit in adding their 2010 first-round draft pick for the stretch run.

GM Doug Armstrong and Coach Ken Hitchcock felt their current roster needed a boost, with the returns of Alex Steen and Matt D’Agostini still in question.

Fresh off a disappointing loss that eventually ended his collegiate career, Schwartz and the Blues quickly worked to get a contract in place.

At Colorado College, the shifty forward amassed a career 32 goals and 56 assists in just 60 career games. The Canadian native will look to add anything he can to the team that sits atop the NHL standings.

Schwartz will bring a great energy to an already strong team. Getting right into the swing of things with the NHL club, the Blues’ 2010 No. 14-overall draft pick possesses both the skills to perform as well as the will to use this as a learning opportunity.

At just 19 years old, Schwartz is extremely knowledgeable when it comes to hockey.

He works hard and loves being involved in the action, a quality the Blues value in his game. He has the potential to make a game-changing play on every shift.

Part of the reason Armstrong chose to sign the young winger now gives credibility to the mental game he possesses.

Schwartz is a natural leader, shown by his captaining of Team Canada in the 2012 World Juniors. You have to be if you are going to survive in the NHL at the age of 19.

While not an excessively flashy offensive talent, Schwartz’s skill set is one that will mesh well with the St. Louis Blues style of play. Two things that bode well for a playoff run—a smart, grind-it-out style of play and depth—are both aspects Schwartz adds to the Blues.

To that, Schwartz adds a natural playmaking ability that could be lethal once he develops.

Hitchcock has yet to speak about what line Schwartz will play on. Regardless, expect him to replace some of the versatility lost to the injury bug.

Work on multiple lines is probable, as Hitch is known to switch his lines on a nightly basis. This gives the young Canadian a chance to prove himself while still allowing him an opportunity to gain comfort at the NHL level.

Schwartz’s contract makes him immediately eligible to join the team. He is also eligible for the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

It remains uncertain when Schwartz will make his NHL debut. Be sure Coach Hitchcock will unveil his new weapon when the time is right.

In the end, adding a player with great playmaking ability and a natural sense for the game was too good of an opportunity to pass up for Doug Armstrong and company. Especially when that player is as well-grounded as Jaden Schwartz.

Hitchcock certainly welcomes the addition to his offensive arsenal.

As for Schwartz, a chance to contribute to a playoff-bound St. Louis Blues team this year is a tremendous opportunity.

The worst case scenario is he gains his NHL footing sooner than expected, knocking the nerves out before next year.

The best case scenario? You can imagine.

-“Jaden Schwartz Signs with St. Louis Blues, Adding Forward Depth for Playoff Run” by Michael Sprague, 3/12/12

Earlier in March, CBS Sports Network recently profiled the family of Yale women’s ice hockey player Mandi Schwartz ’10 (1988-2011). Mandi’s brothers, Jaden and Rylan, both play for Colorado College.

Click Here to view video.

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – It has been nearly a year since Yale women’s ice hockey center Mandi Schwartz ’10 (1988-2011) passed away after battling cancer for more than two years. Yet she continues to inspire efforts by her Bulldog teammates to help others.

After the final game of the 2011-12 season at Harvard on Saturday afternoon Feb. 18, the Yale team traveled North instead of heading right home to New Haven. The Bulldogs attended a Boston Blades Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL) game in Reading, Mass., that served as a fundraiser for the Mandi Schwartz Foundation — the charity that Yale senior captain Aleca Hughes (Westwood, Mass.) started in Mandi’s memory.

Donations for the foundation were accepted at the game, and t-shirts from the most recent “White Out for Mandi” (the Yale team’s annual fundraiser at Ingalls Rink) were available as well. Hughes dropped the ceremonial first puck and sophomore forward Patricia McGauley (Wilcox, Sask.), who is from the same home town and high school as Mandi, sang the National Anthem. The Blades’ roster features two players with Yale connections — Bray Ketchum ’11 and assistant coach Jessica Koizumi. Koizumi had a pair of goals and Ketchum had an assist as the Blades beat Burlington 6-0.

Read More…

League Honors Yale Forward who Fought Inspirational Battle with Cancer

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – ECAC Hockey has renamed its Student-Athlete of the Year Award in memory of Mandi Schwartz ’10 (1988-2011), the Yale women’s ice hockey forward whose battle with cancer inspired people in the hockey world and beyond to help save lives in her name. The announcement was made Friday, on what would have been Mandi’s 24^th birthday.

Mandi, who passed away Apr. 3, 2011 after battling acute myeloid leukemia for more than two years, was a three-time ECAC Hockey All-Academic Team selection whose gentle nature and selfless approach to life endeared her to everyone she met. She attended Athol Murray College of Notre Dame prior to Yale.

On Dec. 8, 2008 — just four days after extending her streak of consecutive games played to 73, picking up an assist in Yale’s 4-1 win over Brown at Ingalls Rink — Mandi was diagnosed with cancer. She returned home to Saskatchewan for treatment, and on Jan. 8, 2010, after five rounds of strong chemotherapy and 130 days in the hospital put her in remission, she returned to Yale for the spring semester. She was planning to return to playing hockey in the 2010-11 season, but in April of 2010 she learned that the cancer had returned. She would need a stem cell transplant — essentially, a new immune system — to have any hope of long-term survival.

Even while she was sick, Mandi took the time to follow the progress of the teams she played for. At one point she wrote to her high school team, Athol Murray College of Notre Dame:

“I encourage you to enjoy every time that you step on the ice. Don’t forget to play for the fun of the game. Every time you go for a skate is a chance to make yourself better. Do what you love most and have the time of your life.”

In an effort to save her life and the lives of others facing similar illnesses, Mandi’s Yale teammates rallied behind her cause. Starting in 2009, they helped organize annual marrow donor registration drives to help patients in need of genetic matches for stem cell transplants. They campaigned to raise awareness of the value of donating umbilical cord blood, which can also be used to help patients in need. And they held numerous fundraisers, centered around the annual “White Out for Mandi” game at Ingalls Rink. Yale senior captain Aleca Hughes (Westwood, Mass.), who organized many of Yale’s efforts, has also started the Mandi Schwartz Foundation to continue honoring Mandi’s memory by helping others.

Mandi received a stem cell transplant using umbilical cord blood in September 2010 at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. But a biopsy in December 2010 revealed that the cancer had returned. She passed away on Apr. 3, 2011 at the age of 23.

Just prior to that, Yale had named it annual marrow donor registration drive in Mandi’s memory. These drives continue to be led by the field hockey, football and women’s ice hockey teams. To date, the drives have added approximately 2,500 people to the Be The Match registry, including a record 921 in 2010. At least six life-saving matches for patients in need have been located through these efforts. One donor was a fellow Yale student-athlete, field hockey player Lexy Adams (Lancaster, Pa.). The date of the 2012 drive will be announced shortly.

ECAC Hockey’s Mandi Schwartz Student-Athlete of the Year Award goes to a student-athlete who excels in the classroom, participates in fifty percent of the team’s games, and demonstrates leadership on and off the ice. Each head coach nominates a student-athlete, and a committee made up of school administrators has the task of selecting the recipient.

The Student-Athlete of the Year Award was first presented in 2007. Yale has had one player win the award — Jackee Snikeris ’11 last season — and three other finalists (Kelsey Johnson ’07 and Danielle Kozlowski ’09 twice).

On the last home weekend of women’s play at each ECAC Hockey school, the Mandi Schwartz Student-Athlete of the Year finalists will be recognized on the ice as part of each program’s senior weekend. This will begin this weekend as Clarkson and St. Lawrence cap off their regular-season home schedules. The winner of the award will be announced on Mar. 1 at the ECAC Hockey Tournament Championship Banquet.

For more on Mandi’s story, visit http://www.yalebulldogs.com/mandi

Visit the “Be The Match” website at http://www.bethematch.com for information on how you can be the match for a patient in need

Report by Sam Rubin ’95 (sam.rubin@yale.edu), Yale Sports Publicity

October 8, 2011 — On Sunday, three Yale alumni will participate in the “Run for Mandi” to honor former women’s ice hockey player Mandi Schwartz ’11, who lost her two-year battle with leukemia in April.

Alyssa Clarke ’09, Bray Ketchum ’11 and Jackee Snikeris ’11, who all skated alongside Mandi on the hockey team, will run in the New York Road Runners Staten Island Half-Marathon in order to collect donations for the Mandi Schwartz Memorial Bursary.

“None of us have run 13.1 miles before, but we have trained for rigorous competition back when we were members of the Yale hockey team,” Snikeris said in a press release. “Mandi has given us inspiration during our long, hot training days preparing for this race. When we think we cannot go anymore, we remember our freshmen and sophomore years when Mandi was the ONLY one who passed the running test. She would finish this race and so will we.”

All proceeds will benefit the Mandi Schwartz Memorial Bursary, an organization that was established to raise money for Athol Murray College of Notre Dame, Mandi’s high school in Wilcox, Saskatchewan, and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada.

–Yale Daily News, Maria Guardado