USC's Jake Olson will bench press at the Trojans' pro day to raise money for retinoblastoma research
USC long snapper Jake Olson continues to be an inspiration.
Olson, who lost the sight in his left eye as an infant and the sight in his right eye at age 12 because of retinoblastoma, is bench pressing at USC’s pro day on March 20. And he’s benching to help raise money for the clinical trial of a device that could help kids who suffer from the same type of eye cancer that Olson did.
Olson has started a pledge drive for every rep he does in the bench. The money will go toward the Episcleral Topotecan device, which, with successful trialing, could become a way for kids with retinoblastoma to not lose their sight.
“The Episcleral Topotecan device, or what we’ll refer to as the chemo plaque, is a non-invasive reservoir that is implanted in the eye,” Olson wrote on his pledge page. “The device delivers direct chemo, Topotecan, to the tumors and vitreous seeds located within the eye and the results have been astounding. Last year, two children who had one tumorous eye left and who had maxed out on every other treatment option, were completely cured through the use of the chemo plaque.”
“I remember hearing about the development of this plaque around the time of my surgery and the reality is that this Episcleral device would have allowed me to see today. Even though it was too late for me, it doesn’t have to be too late for the children who are facing the same reality I did nine years ago.”
Olson’s goal is $250,000.
Olson was a senior in 2018
Olson has been one of the best stories in college football over the last few seasons. After getting a waiver to practice with the football team in 2015, Olson snapped in the 2016 spring game. He saw his first game action in Week 1 of the 2017 season when he snapped on an extra point in USC’s win over Western Michigan.
Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said he couldn’t stop crying while watching Olson snap in that game.
Olson walked at senior day for the Trojans in 2018 with his dad and guide dog Quebec, a moment that was the highlight of a loss that ended a 5-7 season for the Trojans.
In addition to long snapping, Olson is really good at golf too. He can also throw a hell of a spiral and jokingly entered his name into USC’s QB competition before the 2018 season.
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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.
Follow @NickBromberg on Twitter
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