Thea Digiammerino

USC Football's Jake Olson Visits Yale-New Haven Hospital

A regular day at Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital doesn't usually involve holding a Super Bowl ring for Marquet Bell. But on Friday, it did.

Every year, patients at Yale-New Haven Children’s hospital get a special visit as part of the annual Walter Camp Weekend. This year, the star in town is more than just a talented athlete.

It’s Bell’s hero, USC Football’s long snapper, Jake Olson. Bell is 17 and battling sickle cell anemia.

“You put such a big smile on my face right now,” Bell told Olson. "You're a living inspiration right now."

Not too long ago, Olson was in a similar place-- battling cancer as a child and eventually losing his sight. But he didn't let that get in his way.

He lives by the USC Trojan mantra, “fight on.” And he hopes the kids met on Friday, like Bell, do just that.

"No matter what circumstance you're up against, there's no excuse not to go out there and just do the things you love and what makes you happy,” said Bell. “Dreams and goals are rearranged and have to shift a little bit but that doesn't mean you can't go out there and achieve the dreams you want."

Bell heard this message loud and clear.

“I feel just so happy watching my inspiration,” he said. “It feels like that was a dream. It’s a dream come true because when I saw him play that inspired me to go to school more and more often and not let things stop me from you know, thinking about my pain. If he could do it, I could do it."

Jake Olson is a senior at USC and graduating in May with a degree in business. Bell is a high school junior, and hoping to go to college in a couple years to study robotic engineering.

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