Matt Swope finally broke down, and tears streamed down his face as he sat next to his sister Janie Means’ hospital bed in 2008. The emotions of the past three years while his sister was battling myeloma cancer, a rare and deadly blood disease, had taken a toll on Swope.

But while Swope bawled in front of his sister for the first time in years, something unexpected happened. Means, who had grown less responsive over the past few weeks, reached out and grabbed her younger brother’s hand. Though no words were exchanged, Swope was encouraged, and he went home that night prepared to return to the hospital the next morning.

That was the last time Swope saw his sister alive. He received a phone call from his mother in the morning informing him his sister had died.

Six years later, Swope, 33, is honoring his sister’s memory as the Terrapins baseball team’s director of baseball operations. After tomorrow’s game against Georgia Tech, Swope and the Terps will shave their heads to culminate months of fundraising efforts for the Vs. Cancer Foundation, which works to find a cure for children’s cancer.

“I kind of always just think about my sister personally and what she would want me to do,” Swope said. “Before she passed away, she was one of those people that would be willing do anything for anybody. She would give the clothes off her back. She would give the two cents she had to anybody. It’s one of those things that I feel, personally, it’s my mission. It’s my goal to find a cure for cancer.”

Swope was three years out of college when Means, who was then 35, was diagnosed with cancer in 2005. At that time, Swope was struggling to find his footing in professional baseball. Injuries had derailed Swope’s hopes of reaching the major leagues, and he was playing in an independent league.

Swope considered retiring after his sister’s diagnosis but ultimately stuck with the sport, if only because he knew that’s what his sister would have wanted him to do.

“I was struggling at the time, and when I found out, I ended up going on a tear the rest of the season,” Swope said. “It just gave me a lot of inspiration to just take things day by day.”

While Means was in the hospital, Swope focused his attention and energy on supporting his family. After Means’ death, he turned his efforts to cancer research. Swope worked extensively with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and he was nominated as the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Man of the Year in 2010. At 30, Swope was the youngest nominee ever.

In August 2012, Swope, who played for the Terps from 1999 to 2002, was hired as director of baseball operations under newly hired coach John Szefc. In the spring, Swope discovered the Vs. Cancer Foundation while browsing Twitter. He immediately was enamored with the organization’s goal of helping kids. Szefc signed off on Swope’s fundraising efforts with the team, and three weeks later, the Terps had raised $10,000.

“It was a great idea,” right-hander Jake Stinnett said. “Being able to help these kids out is something special, and all of us are more than willing to help.”

The local chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society received half of that money, and the other $5,000 went to the Vs. Cancer Foundation. The money helps pay for everything from transportation to prescription drugs.

“The normal person would have no idea all the things that go into trying to battle cancer with chemo and prescription drugs and everyday things,” Swope said.

With more time to prepare this year, the Terps set their goal at $20,000, and they had raised $16,756 as of yesterday. Workers will also collect donations during tomorrow’s game.

Swope and the Terps solicited donations from family and friends and also reached out to the public online. The Terps posted links to their fundraising page on Facebook and Twitter, Kirkpatrick said, and many players joined with female athletes from this university to create two-person fundraising teams.

“It’s just one of those subjects that goes right to my heart,” said right-hander Brady Kirkpatrick, who has raised $2,785, the second-most on the team. “I’ve known people who’ve been affected by it personally, so it’s something I really take seriously and try to help these kids out as much as possible.”

Swope also teamed up with the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and proceeds from an athletic department volleyball tournament Sunday will also go to the Vs. Cancer Foundation. Plus, several Terps athletes will join the Terps tomorrow to get their heads shaved.

“You don’t really see shaved heads too often,” Stinnett said. “People come up and ask, ‘Why’d you shave your heads?’ We’re raising awareness for cancer, and we did it as a team. People catch on to it, and people think it’s pretty cool.”

In the coming year, Swope wants to get other student groups, such as fraternities and sororities, involved. Mostly, though, he’s focused on short-term goals. He still follows the day-by-day philosophy that helped him get through the days, months and years when Means fought cancer.

And just as Swope’s sister motivated him to find a cure for cancer, the Terps draw inspiration from the kids for whom they’re trying to raise money.

“They’re tremendously strong,” Kirkpatrick said. “It really makes me think of how easy I have it and how easy my life is.”