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GRAND CAYMAN, Cayman Islands, April 24, 2016 – Jessica Wolfenden
is more than a beach volleyball player who has been playing at a
high-competitive level representing the Cayman Islands for the
last four years at the NORCECA Circuit alongside Italian
Stefania Gandolfi.
Her off the court behavior and humanitarian values vastly go
beyond the athletic skills that earned their team a fourth-place
best finish ever at home soil when they succumbed to the more
experienced team of Claudia Rios and Gloria Santoyo of Mexico on
Sunday at the Cayman Islands Tournament.
The Canadian-born Wolfenden probably is not going to be
remembered for the medals won as a beach volleyball player or by
her statistics as a competitive indoor player at the college
ranks while attending the University of Maine in USA.
The name of Jessica Wolfenden will come to the minds of everyone
around when they pause to think about her altruism and
compassion as a devote follower of the principles of love for
the neighbor.
In the next few days, the 28-year-old Wolfenden will leave the
court and go directly to the airport to travel to the United
States –first to Miami and then to Virginia- to donate bone
marrow to an unknown person who needs to save his life.
“First I will go to Miami to prepare for the donation and then
to Virginia where the procedure will take place,” Wolfenden
said. “That is something I want to do to help somebody who need
a transplant to save their life.”
To perform the surgical procedure doctors use needles to
withdraw liquid marrow from both sides of the back of the pelvic
bone. The median time of recovery for a marrow donation is about
20 days with some side effects a few days after the donation.
“I have talked to my playing partner and she understood my
feelings and desire,”Wolfenden said. “It is going to take a few
weeks before I can get back to training but I hope to be ready
to play in the Continental Cup in El Salvador, next May.”
NORCECA Vice President Mushtaque Mohammed, who is President of
the Caribbean Zonal Association, was emotional after knowing
about her altruistic action and expressing his congratulations
to Wolfenden.
“I never heard before about an athlete doing that kind of
humanitarian act in favor of the unknown,” Mohammed said. “In
order to do that you have to be a unique human being and on
behalf of FIVB president Dr. Ary Graca, NORCECA president
Cristobal Marte Hoffiz, the entire volleyball community and
myself I want to congratulate Jessica and wish her the best for
the rest of her life.”
Jessica Wolfenden was not on the podium for the award ceremony
at the conclusion of the tournament on Sunday afternoon but she
was a real champion in the minds of all the medal winners and
the rest of participants. |
