“Prayers are with him”, “Hope he finds a donor”: Fans stand in solidarity with Kyle Owens, who played basketball hours after cancer diagnosis in March

Kyle Owens, a former student-athlete at the University of California, Riverside, was diagnosed with leukemia, just hours before a game this past March. He played the last game of his career in the Highlanders's win against Cal State Fullerton in the Big West regular season.

On Tuesday, ESPN posted on Instagram about Owens' diagnosis and needs a bone marrow transplant.

On Tuesday, ESPN announced on Instagram that the Southern California basketball community, together with the National Marrow Donor Program and the Owens family, is organizing a donor drive to help him out.

"Obviously I want to find a match for myself, but it's important to just get more people to register who look like me for other people out there as well," Kyle Owens told ESPN.

This news brought hope to fans, who offered their support for Owens in the comments.

"My prayers are with him and my soul supports him," one fan commented on the post.

"Gotta keep going! I hope he finds a donor 💙," another wrote.

"I’m praying this kid is able to get a match and receive the bone marrow transplant he needs, in Jesus’ name - amen!" one user showed their support.

More words of encouragement poured in for Owens amid his health situation.

"I hope he gets the transplant and is able to beat this," a fan expressed.

"Would see him around campus, and where I worked. Honestly, he's a great dude. Prayers to him," one fan chimed in.

"What a genuine dude, good luck with chemo brother 🙏👊," another one added.

Fans commented on Instagram (ESPN/IG)

Kyle Owens recalls the day he was diagnosed with cancer

Kyle Owens was nearing the end of his college career when he received the devastating news. Tests revealed that suffered from acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a kind of cancer where the bone marrow creates an excess of white blood cells.

However, despite the diagnosis, Owens remained steadfast in his desire to finish the season. The senior night game against Cal State Fullerton was a mere hours away and he was determined to play.

"My trainer gave me the option of playing or if I just wanted to start the game for senior night or wanted to do pictures for senior night or she was like, 'You don't have to go at all if you don't want,'" Owens said. "The type of person I am, I decided to just play the game as much as I could."

Kyle Owens started the game against the Titans at SRC Arena and stayed on the court for five minutes before his body gave out. He scored three points and grabbed a rebound.