Kicking In
He is only a soccer player, but Oliver Wyss has made a commitment to make a difference where he can.
After beginning the Soccer for Hope children’s camp last year, Wyss has added a new element to the second-year fund-raiser that will benefit the Duarte hospital that helped save his life.
The Soccer for Hope Charity Walk, a 3K walk through the Oso Creek Trail in Mission Viejo, takes place Aug. 25 as part of the soccer camp’s closing ceremonies, with the proceeds going to the City of Hope National Cancer Center.
Wyss is hoping to attract 500 walkers, including several survivors like himself.
“I’m one of the fortunate,” said Wyss, an Aliso Viejo resident who is completely cured from severe aplastic anemia after 1 1/2 years of treatment.
Wyss was afflicted in 1997 while a member of the Anaheim Splash of the Continental Indoor Soccer League. To combat the rare blood disorder, typically found in adolescents and young adults, he needed a bone marrow transplant. He found a donor in his oldest brother, Freddy, who lived in Switzerland with the rest of Wyss’ family. Freddy will be on hand at the walk, along with Tisha Venturini, a member of the U.S. team that won the Women’s World Cup.
Wyss, a former Swiss national team member who also played for the Salsa, raised $10,000 last year and hopes to raise about $35,000 this year.
“I had no idea the City of Hope Medical Center even existed, but the way I was treated was so unbelievable, and it’s a nonprofit hospital that raises its money through donations,” Wyss said. “They’re accepting kids with life-threatening diseases who don’t even have insurance. All the money we raise here goes right back to the pediatric bone marrow transplant fund.”
Wyss sees a connection between the age of the children at his soccer camp, 6-13, and the age of the children at the hospital.
“I never realized how many children don’t have the privilege of playing around and participating in sports because of health reasons,” said Wyss, 25. “When I was there, I was shocked at how many children were affected by life-threatening diseases--kids with cancer, leukemia, aplastic anemia, HIV--kids with no legs, basically, kids who had no choice in the matter.
“I was in shape, a professional soccer player, and I had to go through the same thing they did. Afterward, I wanted to be an example to them, because I feel very fortunate to be able to run around like I did before.
“That’s where my passion is in coaching youth soccer--there’s the teaching of fundamentals, but also the appreciation of their health.”
The camp is Aug. 21-25 at the World Cup Center in Mission Viejo, from 9 a.m. to noon. Information and applications for the camp and walk are available at www.westcoastfc.com, by e-mail at soccerforhope@home.com, or by calling (949) 552-2344.
Wyss hopes his Soccer for Hope and the charity walk will eventually become annual events around the United States, and there is already discussion of these fund-raisers being created in Colorado and New York. He has become a spokesperson for City of Hope and the Aplastic Anemia Foundation.
He is engaged to Jamie Thomas, whom he met about seven months before he became ill. They hope to marry as close as possible to the anniversary of his transplant, April 9, 1997.
“A celebration,” Wyss said. “My most cherished trophy is my life and my future.”
