WORCESTER, Mass. — Each year, the WPI football team runs a bone marrow drive on campus as part of the Andy Talley Bone Marrow Foundation's "Get In The Game" save-a-life program.

Grafton native and senior tight end on the Engineers football team, Nolan Warner, had his cheek swabbed as a freshman taking part in the program and he was entered into the National Marrow Donor Program and system.

This summer, he found out he was a match for a 1-year-old boy with a life-threatening disease, the process in which needles are inserted into both of Warner's hips to draw out marrow carries with it a four- to six-week recovery, which meant Warner would miss at least the first week of preseason camp. He never hesitated. He donated and was glad he could help a boy and family that he had no connection to.

"I actually got a call saying I was a full match for a 1-year-old with a life-threatening disease, so I was super grateful to be able to be a match for someone," said Warner. "Really just to have an impact on someone's life in a really meaningful way. Yeah, you know, it's a humbling feeling. It makes you take a step back and really look at life. I was grateful to be selected and be able to help someone."

His teammates have always known what a special person Warner is and what type of character he has, but this just reinforced their belief.

"Going out of your way to help another human, a random person that you don't even know — it's really powerful," said Captain Beck Carrier.

Warner cannot have any contact with the family until six months after the surgery and cannot meet them until a year after the surgery.