“You can only do so much in baseball—throw the ball so far, hit the ball so hard. To be able to make a difference in not only your life, but in someone else’s life and the family’s, is huge, and that’s my greatest accomplishment so far.”
-Matt Szczur
When “Szcz the Day” first came into fruition, it was not an idea developed overnight. Instead, it was an idea both cherished and cultivated by Matt since 2010, when he risked his professional football and/or baseball career to undergo extensive physical preparation in order to donate his bone marrow to an 18-month old Ukrainian baby fighting for her life.
Presented with the opportunity to potentially save the baby’s life, possibly being her last chance for life, Matt did not think twice about the decision. It was never just a consideration for him, although he never understood how it could have been just that to others. He was determined to do whatever he needed to help her, and his career beyond his donation was an improbable outcome he was willing to take.
Not only was the bone marrow transplant successful, but the healthy Ukrainian baby grew into a healthy, 8-year-old girl who enjoyed karate classes and reading books at her princess desk in her bedroom.
Watching young Anastasia grow, being forever connected to her family in an unbreakable bond was the driving force behind Matt’s motivation to keep “Szcz-ing the Day.”
To “Szcz the Day,” in an ironic play on words, means to conquer the day. To Matt, conquering the day means making the little things count, like waking up early for a sunrise, slowing down to admire a sunset. Spending time with family, helping friends. Donating your time, chasing your dreams and following your passions. Because life is all about little moments of happiness strung together to make up big moments, and for how long another day will be granted to us is an unknown.
Matt is proud to announce the launch of the Matthew Szczur “Szcz the Day” Foundation, where proceeds give back to the Be the Match organization and those suffering from bone cancer and also to others in need.
He will be working closely with Kona Surf Company, who has generously offered to support and embody his mission by selling official “Szcz the Day” t-shirts. These t-shirts represent the chance for someone diagnosed with blood cancer to watch another sunrise, admire another sunset. They represent the chance to follow the waves, the chance to Szcz the Day. Because “following the waves” is “Szcz-ing the Day.”
To purchase your own Szcz The Day t-shirt, click here.