USC long-snapper Jake Olson lost both his eyes to cancer at 12 years old, but he never let the disease or blindness stop his dream of playing football for the Trojans.
On Wednesday, he used the USC pro day to fight back against cancer and raise money for retinoblastoma research. Retinoblastoma is the rare cancer that took Olson’s eyesight. Using the bench press for his fundraising campaign, Olson put up 17 reps of 225 pounds with a packed weight room of coaches, teammates and scouts cheering him on.
It was an incredible moment.
According to ESPN, Olson was hoping to raise money for research on a new procedure that could have saved his eyesight had it existed a decade ago. The procedure’s development can potentially save other retinoblastoma patients from losing their eyes.
Via ESPN:
“It gives me chills right now, just kind of like thinking I could come back 10 years later and help aide the treatment that took my eyesight,” Olson said. “It gave me goosebumps when I first heard about it because I’m just like, ‘Wow, we’re at this pivotal moment right now.'”
You can read more on Olson’s fundraising efforts here.
