Ep 13: Mia Hamm
13: Soccer legend Mia Hamm opens up about being a bone marrow transplant advocate, her brother's story, and GVHD Now
You know Mia Hamm as a woman at the center of the soccer world: Two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup Champion.
From 1987 until 2004, she was the face of soccer — an indelible part of the United States National Women’s Soccer Team. During that time, she’s assumed another powerful role, advocate for the bone marrow transplant (BMT) community. At 25, Mia lost her older brother Garrett, who passed away from a fungal infection after receiving a bone marrow transplant for myelodysplasia. He was just 28 years old. That loss spurred her to action. In 1999, she founded the Mia Hamm Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to raising funds and awareness for families in need of marrow and cord blood transplants as well as supporting opportunities for young women in sports.
Now, she’s partnering with Incyte for GVHD Now, raising awareness of graft-versus-host disease, or GVHD, which can be a life-threatening complication from stem and bone marrow transplants.
Mia joins the show to discuss why she’s using her platform to share resources and support for people living with GVHD and for the bone marrow transplant community, and what others can take from her brother’s story.
“The [Mia Hamm] Foundation is giving people hope and empowering young girls.”
Listen here 🎧 :
