A powerful halftime moment during Saturday’s Nebraska–Michigan football game at Memorial Stadium honored a young Lincoln girl, her life-saving bone marrow donor, and the medical team that brought them together.
In recognition of World Marrow Donor Day, and in partnership with NMDP (formerly the National Marrow Donor Program), the ceremony celebrated Julia Morrison, a fourth grader whose life was saved by a bone marrow transplant. She was joined by her donor, Dr. Erica Brockberg, an OB-GYN from Michigan who joined the NMDP Registry while attending the University of Michigan.
The tribute also included four members of Julia’s transplant team from the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center at Nebraska Medicine, the clinical partner of the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
“This Nebraska–Michigan connection is about so much more than the final score,” said Jennifer Morrison, Julia’s mother. “It’s about raising awareness, celebrating a life saved and hopefully inspiring someone else to be a match.”
Dr. Jeffrey P. Gold, president of the University of Nebraska system, called the event a meaningful collaboration between institutions.
“The recognition on Saturday is really a celebration of our victories—not only in competition on the football field, but in patient care,” Gold said. “We are honored to share this powerful moment with another world-class institution, the University of Michigan, and our valued partners at NMDP who make these lifesaving connections possible.”
Ahead of kickoff, NMDP hosted a cheek swab drive outside Memorial Stadium, registering potential donors.
To learn more or to join the registry, visit go.nmdp.org/nebraska.
