Splash Defender Recovering From Marrow Transplant

Splash defender Oliver Wyss says a bone-marrow transplant to save his life has shown every indication of being a success.

“I’m really optimistic--I feel really good,” said Wyss, who has been hospitalized since March 22 after being found to have aplastic anemia, a rare blood disorder. He received a bone-marrow transplant April 9. His 29-year-old brother, Freddy, was the donor.

“Doctors say that to be 100% recovered and ready to compete might take up to a year, but the chances are that because I’m younger and in shape, it could be six months,” he said. “To be honest, the most important thing is to get well.”

Wyss, 22, a native of Switzerland who was a rookie with the Splash last season, is still in an isolation room at City of Hope National Medical Center here.

Wyss said he expects to be in the hospital at least two more weeks. Freddy Wyss flew to the United States from Switzerland for the transplant.

“I can’t make long-term plans because when I come out of here, there are going to be lot of restrictions,” Oliver Wyss said. “I want to take it day by day. I’m going to be happy to be out of the hospital. And realistically, I should be back next season [1998].”

Splash player-coach Dale Ervine and General Manager Steve Samaha visited Wyss on Thursday.

“Dale said they’d definitely keep me,” Wyss said, “and they’re not going to give out my number.”

Said Ervine: “He has confronted this with a great mind-set and been very positive throughout the whole situation. To see him looking as well as he did was real encouraging.”