Cameron Lyle, a University of New Hampshire (UNH) Division I track and field athlete donated bone marrow to a 28-year-old cancer patient he has never met. The transplant will virtually end his sports career.

The patient, who had less than six months to live, now can get a second chance in life.

"It's just a sport. Just because it's Division I college level doesn't make it any more important. You can't measure life against anything. When you have an opportunity to save someone, you gotta go for it," Lyle said.

Lyle, during his sophomore year, along with other UNH members had submitted mouth swabs and joined a bone marrow registry.

Almost two years later when he had forgotten about the registration, Lyle received a phone call, a few months ago from the National Marrow Donor program saying he was a 100 percent match for an acute lymphoblastic Leukaemia (AML) patient who desperately needed a donor.

"I said yes immediately."

Lyle donated his bone barrow Wednesday at the Massachusetts General Hospital.

Doctors said that the odds that someone will be a perfect match for bone marrow are extraordinarily unlikely - the odds are about one out of five million. And if the numbers feature family members, it drops to just one out of four million.

National Marrow Donor Program stated that AML patients have better long-term remission rates with a bone marrow or cord blood transplant.

The law states that both the recipient and the donor should be anonymous at least for an year. After which both of them will have the choice of revealing their identities.

"I'd love to meet him some day," Lyle said. "He's not that much older than myself. I just can't imagine what he's going through."

Lyle, 21, is a star shot put athlete who was preparing to play at the America East championships, when he received the call. He was training hard for eight years to participate in the championship.

Both his mom and coach Jim Boulanger were supportive of his decision.

Boulanger can now say that he coached more than one bone marrow donor in his 30 seasons. Three years ago, Catherine Perrella, a UNH senior donated her bone marrow to save a life.