Coastal Carolina Star and World Finalist Underwent Stem Cell Transplant To Save Father In 2018

By Aaron Heisen for DyeStat

Six weeks ago at the NCAA Division 1 Championships, as she lined up to race the 100-meter final, Melissa Jefferson felt drained. 

She had run the anchor leg of the 4x100 final less than an hour before. She had competed in the preliminary rounds for the 200, 100 and 4x100 two days prior. She had stacked her plate with those races as a way to help out her Coastal Carolina team. The result — an eighth-place finish in the 100-meter final. 

Two weeks later, Jefferson returned to Hayward Field for the USATF National Championships. This time she hyperfocused on one event, the 100 meters. That strategy proved beneficial. Jefferson won the race in a wind-aided 10.69 seconds and made the U.S. national team for the World Athletics Championships. 

“I realized, ‘NCAAs had to be sacrificed in order for me to be the U.S. champ,’” Jefferson said Sunday night in the mixed zone under Hayward Field.  “I’m really glad that it happened the way it did because, if not, I wouldn’t be here.”

On Sunday, Jefferson competed in the women’s 100-meter final at the World Championships, finishing eighth in 11.03. While she fell short of a medal, she remained positive. She had fulfilled her goal of competing at the World Championships — a goal that Jefferson and Coastal Carolina assistant head coach Karl Goodman had set a year before. 

At the 2021 NCAA Championships, Jefferson finished last in the first heat of the women’s 100. That night, she left Hayward Field in disbelief. 

Goodman used the loss as a teaching moment. He had Jefferson write out a goal sheet for her upcoming season, which he broke into ‘easy, medium, and hard,’ categories. Under the hard section, she wrote, ‘Compete at the World Championships.’ 

At the time, Goodman was one of few people who believed it was possible, but he knew Jefferson would have to change her mindset. 

She would have to sacrifice her selflessness — the trait she valued most about her character. And the trait that had helped save her father’s life four years before the World Championships were even in the picture. 

In March 2018, Jefferson’s dad, Melvin, was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome. His body was unable to produce enough white blood cells, and he required a stem cell transplant. At first, his doctors found a perfect match — a woman who lived in Pennsylvania. However, a few days before the procedure, his doctors discovered that she had sickle cell traits in her blood. 

Melvin needed a different donor. His doctors tested his two eldest daughters, along with his sister, but they only recorded a partial match. Doctors rarely test minors, and Jefferson was 17 at the time, but she was Melvin’s last chance. She registered a preferred match. It was good enough for the transplant to go smoothly, but the decision was still up to Jefferson.

“When she found out she was the preferred match, that was a lot for her to sacrifice,” Melvin said. “So that’s why I’m here today, because of the sacrifice that she made.”

Jefferson acted on her instincts. Although she was young, she didn’t hesitate to step up for her father when he needed it most. The procedure worked. After a year of recovery, Melvin returned to full health. His body is now 100 percent donor cells. On Sunday, he was able to watch his daughter compete at the World Championships. 

After donating her blood cells to her father, Jefferson returned to the track to help Carvers Bay High win the South Carolina track and field state championship. To close out her senior year, Jefferson was named prom queen. 

“I do what I gotta do, especially for the people that I love,” Jefferson said. “I have a great support system. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be here right now.”

When Jefferson first competed at Coastal Carolina University, she began to document all of her training sessions with coach Goodman. She called the folder her “Teal Journey.” That routine remained consistent throughout the last three seasons. However, in 2022, those practice notes took on a different role. 

“​​I take those and I actually study them,” Jefferson said. “I look at things that I’ve worked on. I'm that person that will do block starts and work on something different every single time I’m in the block.” 

This season, Jefferson became meticulous about her training sessions. She asked for longer recovery sessions. She dedicated time to one-on-one training sessions with Goodman.

On Sunday, when she competed in her first World Championships, it wasn’t a culmination of her selflessness. Instead, it was the result of being selfish, but in a productive way. That reality may take a while to set in.

The goal sheet she made with Goodman looks a bit different now. He said she added a new check mark after the NCAA Championships, and again after she was crowned the U.S. Champion. 

After the World Championship final, the last box is now checked.