MESSAGE FROM OLIVER

Until March of 1997 I was a healthy, passionate, and talented soccer player who competed and coached my sport around the world. I had been playing professionally since the age of 15, starting with the Swiss Youth National Team and finishing with the Anaheim Splash in California.

Then in March 1997, I was admitted to a local hospital because of serious exhaustion. The diagnosis changed my life - severe Aplastic Anemia, an extremely rare, non-contagious, and often fatal bone marrow failure that strikes both children and adults. Aplastic Anemia causes the bone marrow in your body to stop producing enough healthy blood cells, which control your body's ability to fight infection and control bruising and bleeding.

I was informed that the only proven successful treatment for severe Aplastic Anemia was a bone marrow transplant. I was transferred to the City of Hope Medical Center and fortunately, my oldest brother, Freddy, was an exact match for the procedure. After the bone marrow transplant and a few months of treatment at the City of Hope, I have made a complete recovery. Not many patients who suffer from this fatal disease are as lucky as I am.

I felt the need to not just say thank you to the City of Hope, but also to get involved trying to help those who are afflicted with life threatening illnesses. Soccer For Hope has contributed over $500,000 to Hospitals and Foundations nationwide.

In July of 2005 my 10 month old son, Hudson, was diagnosed with an extremely rare cancerous brain tumor called Choroid Plexus Carcinoma. He had surgery to remove the six centimeter tumor with a total resection and has completed chemotherapy at Children's Hospital of Los Angeles. Hudson's story affirms my devotion to Soccer for Hope, raising funds for children with life threatening diseases and for research to cure pediatric cancer.

I am asking you to share my passion to bring hope to children with life threatening diseases. Through Soccer for Hope, where helping kids is our goal, you can make a difference!

God Bless,
Oliver Wyss
Director and Founder