On April 19, 1998, a part of Manuel Santana died.

That's, the day his sister, Ruth Isabel Santana, succumbed to Leukemia. With her went the bone marrow donated by Manuel in a desperate effort to save her life.

That day changed his outlook. It changed his priorities. It changed his life.

Now, a little more than three years afterwards, Manuel Santana is ready to return to his native Spain armed with a degree in communication, an all-conference award for soccer and, now, the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs' Thomas F. McLaughlin award for outstanding achievement in athletics, academics and citizenship.

But all of these honors very nearly never happened.

"I had to question my desire to come back and get my degree," said Santana of the weeks after his sister's death. "My mon was devastated. I felt an obligation to stay and take care of my family."

Ruth's disease was diagnosed while she was a college student in Belgium in '96. She continued her education while receiving treatment until her condition worsened in December of '97.

Manuel, who had come to CU-Colorado Springs that August on a soccer scholarship, was summoned back home. He was a good match for a bone marrow transplant, which was believed to be Ruth's best chance for survival. After the procedure, during which doctors removed marrow from Manuel's pelvis, his sister seemed to be improving.

"She had all of her hair, no nausea and her numbers were good," said Manuel. "Everybody was amazed at how well she was doing."

Full of optimism, Manuel returned to Colorado Springs for he spring semester. A few short weeks later, he was summoned back to Spain. The chemotherapy had taken its toll and worse, Ruth had developed a deadly viral infection.

"When I saw her, I almost fainted," said Manuel. "She was bald. Her face was bloated. I knew she was in bad shape.

"I cried.......I tried to deal with it."

When she died, Manuel withdrew into himself. The things that had been important- school and soccer - no longer seemed to matter, April became May, and the clock was ticking on his freshman year of college.

"One day my mom grabbed me and said. 'If your sister were alive, she'd want you to go back for your finals." said Manuel.

In that moment, everything was put into perspective.

"My sister finished college knowing she had Leukemia," said Manuel. "She would have told me to stop feeling sorry for myself and get back to school."

He returned to Colorado Springs and poured himself into his studies. He found that the schoolwork gave him an escape from grief.

"It made me feel good knowing I was doing what she would have wanted me to do," he said.

As hard as he worked, though, the many weeks away had put him perilously behind.

"The teachers were so supportive," said Manuel. "They saw I was struggling so they let me turn in some of my papers late."

The hard work and the patience of the faculty paid off. Manuel finished his freshman year with no grade lower than a B. Now, he had another hurdle. He suffered a knee injury that fall and faced an arduous rehabilitation process if he wanted to return to competitive soccer.

"After being away from it, I missed the sport so much," said Manuel. "I understood then how important it was to me. For the first time in my life, I had questioned my desire to play."

So strong was that desire, though, that he became a starter for the Mountain Lions in his junior year. He followed that by being named ALL-RMAC following his senior season and winning the prestigious McLaughlin award, which was presented on May 1.

The desire also spurred him to earn his degree - he graduates Cum Lauda on May 18.

And through it all was the memory of Ruth.

"Just like she went through school knowing she had a terrible disease, I had to go on knowing she wasn't there. said Manuel.

He plans to return to Spain and pursue a career in sports media. He also wants to become active in the Alejandro Da Silva Foundation for Leukemia patients.

"I feel like I'm ready for anything," said Manuel. "We think we're untouchable, but we're not. We have to appreciate our lives and enjoy them fully.

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