Marley Franklin always knows a set of eyes is constantly trained on her, watching her every move. 

It's expected, especially since Marley is six years older than her younger sister, Maya. After all, little sisters look up to big sisters. 

Maya beamed with pride when Marley, a Howard University sophomore golfer, was named the Northeast Conference (NEC) Rookie of the Year last year. Marley is just as proud of Maya, whose diligence in the classroom has resulted in her earning honors in all her core classes in sixth and seventh grades. 

As a television and film major, Marley shines on and off the golf course because of Maya, who gave Marley a second chance at life 12 years ago. 

Little sister is big sister's hero. 

At birth, Marley was diagnosed with sickle cell disease—a painful and hereditary condition in which the red blood cells are abnormally shaped like crescents. The sickle cells are stiff and sticky and restrict the flow of blood and oxygen in blood vessels of the limbs and organs, causing severe pain, organ damage, and, in some cases, death. 

After extensive testing, Maya became her sister's lifesaving donor at the precious age of 1. The transplant operation took an entire day, and Marley spent 50 days in the hospital. 

"Having my sister be a donor means a lot to me, considering we were nearly a 99% match," Marley Franklin said. "It's made our sibling bond closer than normal. It's special to me to have her in my life, knowing that she saved my life, which is beautiful. Sure, we get into petty arguments, but that's just being sisters. I truly will forever be grateful to my sister for giving me her blood for me to get better." 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 100,000 Americans are affected by sickle cell disease, and about one in 13 Black or African-American babies is born with the sickle cell trait. 

Franklin's bone marrow produced cells with defective hemoglobin S. By receiving a bone marrow transplant—the only available cure—Franklin's body responded positively by producing normal hemoglobin, which helped alleviate the excruciating pain she experienced the first seven years of her life. 

"The pain was tough," Franklin said. "I had constant headaches, which made it harder for me growing up because sometimes I'd cry from the pain. I usually would have to take medicine to cope with the pain. Sometimes, we would have to go to the emergency room because of horrible migraines." 

Franklin was blessed that her mom, Tirzah, was a nurse. She helped Franklin as much as possible before the pain became too intense. Before the transplant, Franklin missed school every Friday to receive blood transfusions. Franklin remembers watching television with her parents in the hospital while she was getting the bloodwork done. 

A portrait of resilience and inspiration, Franklin is 100 percent healthy, the ultimate triumph. She still carries the sickle cell trait but no longer has the disease. 

Now, the Los Angeles native has channeled her renewed health into accomplishing her goal of being a professional golfer on the LPGA tour. If that falls through, she also would like to become a director. She already has one story to pitch to Hollywood executives, and that's how her younger sister donated bone marrow to her that saved her life. 

Franklin started playing golf one year after the bone marrow transplant when she was eight. Her father, Jamar, introduced her to the sport. 

"He signed me up for this golf camp in the summer called Tregnan Golf Academy," Franklin said. "I didn't have an influence on the sport, never even heard of it, quite honestly, until my dad brought up the idea of playing golf. At first, I wasn't too excited because I thought golf was boring, but after the first day at golf camp. I fell in love with it." 

Franklin, who calls her dad before each round, has blossomed since starting the sport. 

This season, she's already helped the Bison win the Hornet Classic at the Creek, hosted by Delaware State University this past September. This victory was notable because the Bison finished 13 strokes ahead of last year's NEC champion, Sacred Heart, a significant confidence boost. In the second round, Franklin carded a four-under 68, a collegiate personal best. 

Last year, Franklin competed in 10 events and averaged 76.6 per round. She had three top-10 finishes: SAS Championships (second), Grandover Fall Classic (tied seventh), and Lady Bison Invitational (tied tenth). 

"It's cool to be a part of the improvement of Howard women's golf," Franklin said. "This year, our season has been good, which is exciting. Winning the opening tournament proved how good we are this season and how we have an excellent shot at winning NEC in the spring." 

Some of Franklin's activities away from the golf course include watching movies, watching anime, hanging out with friends, and sometimes attending school events. 

Franklin's decision to move to the East Coast became easier once she learned a legendary Bay Area baller was a significant supporter of the Howard golf program. 

"I signed with Howard during COVID right before my junior year," Franklin said. "My dad told 

me about Howard and the golf program being funded by Steph Curry. Then, from there, we contacted Coach Puryear. Next thing you know, I'm here on the East Coast playing for a wonderful program. 

"The best part of attending Howard and being on the golf team is constantly being around people who like me, as well as being able to connect with everyone and have that family bond." 

Franklin understands because she knows all about unbreakable family bonds. 
 

Rob Knox is an award-winning professional. A member of the Lincoln (Pa.) Athletics Hall of Fame, Knox currently serves as the Senior Director of Strategic Communications for the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. Knox enjoyed a distinguished career as an athletics communicator for Lincoln, Kutztown, Coppin State, Towson, and UNC Greensboro. He also worked at ESPN and for the Delaware County Daily Times. Recently, Knox was honored by College Sports Communicators (CSC) with the Mary Jo Haverbeck Trailblazer Award and the NCAA with its Champion of Diversity award. Knox is a graduate of Lincoln University and a past president of the College Sports Information Directors Association of America (CoSIDA).