From competing on the court to kicking cancer: A Maine athlete stresses the lifesaving importance of blood donation

By Jennifer Costa, regional communications director

Seth Meyer

For Seth Meyer, tennis is life. As a competitive athlete, a professional, a philanthropist and a renowned coach, this sport has not only defined his career but solidified him as a beloved member of the Midcoast Maine community, where for the last 20 years, he’s headed a popular tennis facility in Rockport, training some of the top high school players across the state.

“I’ve always been a very active person – out on the tennis courts running around. So going from that to being super, super sick in the span of weeks, was really quite the shock,” he said. 

In January 2024, Seth, 47, was diagnosed with stage 4 B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He became too sick for his local hospital and was transported south to Maine Medical Center in Portland, where he received his first round of chemotherapy. About a week later, Seth experienced massive complications.

“I ended up having seven surgeries in about a week’s span. And during that, I was given blood multiple times,” he said. “I spent pretty much the entirety of 2024 fighting cancer.”

This year, two million people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with cancer – that’s roughly three people every minute. Blood transfusions are often an essential part of going through cancer treatment. For those undergoing chemotherapy, like Seth, blood transfusions provide patients with critical clotting factors, proteins and antibodies they need to help them fight back.

“There were tons of blood transfusions,” Seth said, so many he and his wife lost track. “Pretty much every time I received chemo, the week after, my hemoglobin would really drop, and I would have one or two more transfusions. After I received the blood, I’m not going to say I felt 100% better every time, but I certainly felt stronger than I did going into it.”

After nearly three months in the hospital, Seth was finally able to go home, having overcome multiple medical setbacks. But his road to recovery would include three more hospitalizations, each requiring additional blood products. 

“Medically, I probably still shouldn’t be here – and one of the biggest reasons why I am still alive are because of the donations of blood from other people,” he said. “The power that blood donation can give to someone, knowing the good they can do, is pretty amazing. Obviously, I am super thankful.”

One in three people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. Cancer patients use nearly 25% of the nation’s blood supply – more than patients fighting any other disease. But these lifesaving blood products that cancer survivors, like Seth, depend on can only come from generous volunteer donors. Blood cannot be manufactured – and these products have a relatively short-shelf life. Red blood cells must be transfused within 42 days of donation – and platelets, the clotting component of your blood, must be used within five days. That’s why new donors are always needed. 

“This experience has certainly opened my eyes – and my wife’s eyes – to the importance and value of blood donation,” Seth said, reflecting on his own experience donating blood prior to his diagnosis. “While I was in Maine Med, they were actually having a blood drive, and my wife went down to donate. We were trying to encourage all of our friends to go give blood.”

As of July 2024, Seth’s cancer was in remission. Despite this incredible milestone, his challenges persisted. Seth was diagnosed with late onset neutropenia, a condition characterized by a delayed decrease in the number of white blood cells that fight infection. His treatment included even more blood transfusions. 

Erin and Seth Meyer

“It’s one of the side effects from one of the chemo drugs I had several times,” he explained. “But I’m starting to do better. After I had all those surgeries, I couldn’t walk. I couldn’t talk. I couldn’t sit up. I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t even drink water. So, it’s been quite the process – and I’m still rebuilding my strength, up we’re on the upside, which is good.”

In February, Seth’s six-month scan confirmed he is cancer-free – an outcome that seemed improbable just 12-months prior. Now this Maine dad is focused on staying healthy, being his son’s biggest fan on the tennis court, and enjoying the family’s new puppy with his wife, Erin, who he also credits with saving his life. 

“I’m married to the most incredible, strongest person I’ve ever met in my life, who during the 86 days at Maine Med never left my side one time. Along with blood donation, she is probably the other reason why I’m still alive.”

Although 62% of Americans are eligible to donate blood, only three percent do. To learn more about blood donation and how you can help patients in need, visit www.redcrossblood.org.