SAN ANTONIO – The University of the Incarnate Word volleyball program worked with the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation (FOJ) to adopt Olivia "Livvie", a five-year-old girl from Schertz, Texas.
Olivia has Down Syndrome and is battling Leukemia. Diagnosed just before her third birthday, Olivia has undergone two surgeries, multiple procedures and chemotherapy. Throughout it all, Olivia has remained a sweet and happy girl. She loves meeting new people and making friends. Olivia has two older sisters, Gabriella (14) and Sophia (7) who are her biggest fans and greatest supporters. Both sisters will also join the team under the FOJ program Safe on the Sidelines.
"I spoke with Phenicia and she cannot say enough amazing things about the team," said Alicia Greenstone, FOJ Adoption and Outreach Director. "It was incredible how welcoming and kind you all were to Livvie and her family. They are over the moon happy to be part of the team."
For the better part of the last two years, Olivia has been very isolated due to her compromised immune system.
This has been hard on her family, because her natural instinct is to be a bubbly extrovert and this has hindered the
"social butterfly" they know and love.
"I'm really hoping that this experience with you ladies will start bringing my social butterfly out once again," said Olivia's mother and UIW alum, Phenicia. "She has tons of energy, she loves to play, sing and dance. Of course,
I'm also an advocate for my baby and my lifelong goal is to change the misconceptions of what it means to have Down syndrome. If Livvie can do that for anyone in the process, that would be awesome too."
As part of the UIW volleyball team, Livvie, Gabriella and Sophia will have headshots taken and will be added to the UIW volleyball roster.
Friends of Jaclyn Foundation (FOJ): We are a nationwide 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the mission to improve the quality of life for children battling cancer. We do this by pairing afflicted children and their siblings with college sports teams. A team "adopts" a child and gives her a lifetime of love, support, and friendship by inviting her to some practices, games, team events, and being a happy distraction from the cancer world.
QUOTES FROM UIW COACHES AND STUDENT-ATHLETES
Sophomore DS/L Tatum Raulie
"Having Olivia and her family on campus to celebrate her fifth birthday was definitely a highlight of the season thus far. Olivia's smile and awesome dance moves lit up our gym as we played basketball, ate donuts, and of course gave lots of hugs. We are so happy to have Olivia, Gabriella and Sophia as our new teammates."
Freshman MB Camden Gray
"Meeting Olivia, Gabriella and Sophia and having them join our team was such a fun and special day.
Olivia lights up any room she is in and fills everyone around her with joy. Getting to hear about her story really helped me realize to look at the positives in life and enjoy every moment."
Sophomore OH Bethany Clapp
"We are so excited to have Olivia, Gabriella and Sophia as part of our team. Hearing Olivia's story from her mother about her strength and perseverance through her illness was truly inspiring. Despite the hardships she has faced, she radiates joy. In the little time we spent with her, she definitely brought a smile to every single one of our faces.
I hope that we are able to make a positive impact in her and her sisters' lives, as they already have in ours."
UIW Head Coach Samantha Dabbs-Thomas
"We are so excited to have Olivia and her family become part of our family. Adopting Olivia and her sisters and having them celebrating Olivia's fifth birthday with us was a very special day. She brings so much joy into the room when she walks in. Her smile is so contagious, and she gives the best hugs. It was fun watching her come into our gym and immediately start playing with our team. Hearing her mother tell us her story of how much she's already been through at the age of 5, and how she's kept a smile on her face this entire time, is a beautiful thing."
