Love for Lizzie: VS swimmers rally around teammate facing cancer

In January, Lizzy Moore, a senior member of the Vinton-Shellsburg/Union girls swim team, was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins's Lymphoma. While Lizzy is undergoing chemotherapy, her teammates on the VS/Union swim team, as well as the boys on the VS/CPU swim team, are joining Lizzy's family and friends in organizing a two-weekend swimming event to show support for Lizzy and her family and help raise funds to help cover the costs of fighting the disease.

"Lizzy is an easy person to love," says Ashley Hesson, the VS/Union girls coach. "I'm grateful to have had the chance to be her coach, even for just one season. She is a natural leader - a hard worker with a clear head and a good heart. Her teammates instantly responded to the news of her diagnosis with compassion - they said they just had to help. They came with lots of great ideas to show love to their friend and teammate. They have already put in time and effort, and plan to do more."

Lizzy, says her coach, "has a lot of people praying and pulling for her." A senior, Lizzie has been home-schooled and joined the swim team her freshman year in high school. She was one of the seniors in Hesson's rookie year as coach.

"She and her family are very involved citizens in Vinton and the surrounding communities. The Moores' faith is strong and it shows," Hesson says.

On two consecutive Saturdays, March 17 and March 25, the two swim teams, along with many of Moore family members and friends, will host a Swimathon at the IBBSS pool/gym, where the local swimmers practice and hold their home meets. Organizers are putting the finishing touches on the schedule, which will include refreshments, a silent auction and lots of swimming between the hours of 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.

"The Swimathon will consist of individual or a relay team of swimmers signing up for 1-hour time slots," says Lizzy's coach, Ashley Hesson. Participants will seek out and collect donations. On the day of the Swimathon, swimmers will swim as many laps as possible in their 1-hour time slot. Donations may be made as a flat donation, or as a sponsorship per lap ($1.00 per lap, for example)."

And says the coach, "Anyone is welcome to be a swimmer!"

Hesson says theLove For Lizzy Facebook page gained more than 640 members in less than 48 hours.

See the Love for Lizzy Facebook page HERE.

You can donate via a You Caring page HERE.

You can also follow Lizzy's journey on her CaringBridge page HERE.

Events and Activities : Love for Lizzie: VS swimmers rally around teammate facing cancer

Comments