Ryan Scoble returns to Mercyhurst for Lax-for-Life games

Having suffered from late-stage heart failure that required a heart transplant for survival, Mercyhurst alumnus Ryan Scoble ’23 can breathe easy now. 

Still, knowing that his second chance at life was thanks to the generosity of an organ donor, he won’t hold his breath while others may not be so lucky. 

The 23-year-old Cincinnati native is at the helm of the Lax-for-Life fundraising games taking place at Mercyhurst on Sunday, Oct. 22, from noon to 5 p.m. Besides helping to organize the games that feature college and high school teams, Scoble will be speaking to the crowd and seeking to generate awareness of organ donation and its lifesaving promise for so many who wait for their second chance.

Joining the Lakers on the field will be teams from Ohio Wesleyan and Capital universities as well as several club teams. Tickets will be sold at the game: suggested donations are $10 for adults and $5 for students and seniors. Every ticket purchased includes the chance at a door prize. The daylong event will also feature concessions by Parkhurst Dining. 

All proceeds will go to the Center for Organ Recovery & Education. CORE representatives will be on hand during the event to register people to be organ donors and answer questions about organ donation. 

You can donate to the cause at www.lax-for-life.org.

Scoble will address the crowd at 2 p.m. His story stimulated considerable national media interest, including coverage by Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, USA Lacrosse Magazine, a special Today Show segment with Harry Smith, and more.

To this day, Scoble does not know who his heart donor was, but he treasures the gift. "I love this heart," he said. "… And I'm going to fill it with as much love and hope as I can moving forward."

For more information, contact Scoble at ryanscoble@lax-for-life.org.

FAST FACTS FROM CORE
•    More than 100,000 people in the U.S. await an organ transplant. 
•    Approximately 7,000 people in Pennsylvania await transplants.
•    Every 10 minutes someone new is added to the national transplant waiting list.
•    The number of lives one individual can save as an organ donor equals 8.