W. Chester football player gives gift of life

Without the West Chester football team, Sigitas Sleckus would be dead.

Sleckus, a 32 year-old electrical mechanic from Darien, Ill., was diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia on Feb. 10, 2010. At the time, Sleckus' wife, Mante, was eight months pregnant with their first child. Without a bone-marrow transplant, doctors told Sleckus his chances of survival were slim to none.

Rams senior fullback Jared Bonacquisti saved his life.

"It's like being born again," Sleckus said. "You're kind of at a point where you're trying to make peace with everything in case the worst happens. And then having a chance to live, it's indescribable."

In the summer of 2011, Bonacquisti was on his way to the gym when he received a phone call from Be The Match, a program run by the National Bone Marrow Registry. Despite the scope of the procedure, Bonacquisti said he never hesitated to go through with the transplant.

"You freak out a little but, but at the same time you're thinking 'Wow, this is a great opportunity for me to help somebody out,' " Bonacquisti said.

On July 13, 2011, Sleckus, who emigrated from Lithuania in 2001, underwent a successful bone-marrow transplant procedure at Rush University Medical Center. After a one-month recovery period, Sleckus left with his son, Ignas, in his arms. He has since remained cancer-free.

For Bonacquisti, he never missed a beat after the surgery. He recovered in time to play both fullback and linebacker for the Rams in 2011. This season, the Boothwyn native has helped lead West Chester to an undefeated 9-0 record.

On Saturday, West Chester will take on No. 16 Bloomsburg at home with an opportunity to secure a spot in next weekend's Pennsylvania State Athletics Conference championship game.

But regardless of the outcome, Bonacquisti said his time as a Rams football player will forever be defined by saving the life of a man he's never met.

"I've been playing football for a long time," Bonacquisti said. "But those are just games. This was something real. This was a person's life that I was able to help out with. For that, I would take all my games away just to help somebody see their son born and continue their life."