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Toros Makenzie Pedrotti (L) and Jessica Murphy at the Soccer For Hope Clinic

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Toros Soccer Keeps HOPE Alive


MISSION VIEJO, Calif. -- The Cal State Dominguez Hills men's and women's soccer teams took some time out of their schedule earlier this season and headed to Mission Viejo for their annual participation in the Soccer For Hope clinic.

Under warm conditions peaking at 95 degrees, the coaching staff and players split themselves into groups of three or four to conduct the clinic, which welcomed approximately 150 kids from around the area.
   
Founded by Oliver Wyss, who played professionally with Flanagan for the LA Salsa after Flanagan finished his playing days in Carson, the Soccer for Hope program was spurred when Wyss was diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia in 1997, an extremely rare, non-contagious and often fatal bone marrow failure that strikes both children and adults, and ended Wyss' playing career. 

After successfully undergoing a bone marrow transplant he received from his older brother, Wyss became focused on helping others afflicted with life-threatening illnesses and began Soccer for Hope in 1998, which has contributed over $2 million to hospitals and foundations nationwide.
   
Since then, both Wyss' children, Hudson and his older sister Abella, were diagnosed with the same extremely rare cancerous brain tumor called Choroid Plexus Carcinoma in 2005, a condition that affects less than a dozen people yearly in the entire United States.  Hudson Wyss passed away on June 16, 2008, at the age of 3 years and 9 months, living a total of 1,384 days.
   
Soccer For Hope, whose mission is to bring hope to children with life threatening illnesses through financial support while fostering educational benefits and awareness in the local soccer community, has been conducting clinics for 12 years, and has welcomed international soccer superstars such as Mia Hamm as celebrity guest coaches.
   
Joining CSUDH in the clinics were men's and women's teams from UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton, the Loyola Marymount men's squad, Cal Poly Pomona's men's team, Santiago College men's team, as well as Hamm, Alexi Lalas, Chris Albright, Joe Max Moore and the entire CHIVAS USA team.
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