UMD cancer survivor Will Francis thanks little brother for bone marrow
The University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) men’s hockey team may not have won a national championship last year, but now-senior Will Francis won the ultimate battle. One against cancer. In the offseason he received a bone marrow transplant from his then-14-year-old brother, and is now back on campus and back to practice.
“I had the golden ticket opportunity. My brother is a 100% match. No detectable disease at the time of the transplant, and it was a super good outlook for that sort of thing,” Francis shared.
Specifically, Francis was battling his second bout of leukemia. Francis’ first cancer diagnosis came in March of 2020 and he finished chemo in June of 2022. Then, in August 2023 his cancer returned, and he underwent the bone marrow transplant in April 2024.
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“The first thing [my brother] said, [when] me and my parents asked him, “Do you want to do this?” And he said, “Whatever it takes, I want to help.” And obviously, you know, put this thing behind me and behind everybody,” Francis added.
Francis and the Bulldogs open their 2024-2025 season this weekend at AMSOIL Arena. First, UMD hosts Bemidji State University Saturday at 5 p.m., then Sunday they host the University of Manitoba at 2 p.m. For their full schedule, Click Here.
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