Southern Maryland native to celebrate recovery from bone marrow transplant with the U.S. Men’s National Team on June 8
BALTIMORE, MD – The Craig Willinger Fund (CWFund) proudly announces the selection of 20-year-old Webb Kosich of Hollywood, Maryland as its 16th honoree. Webb will join the U.S. Men’s National Team for a special matchday experience at the June 8, 2024 friendly against Colombia at Commanders Field in Landover, Maryland.
Webb, a lifelong soccer player, is a current student and member of William & Mary’s Division I men’s soccer team. In late 2022, Webb noticed he wasn’t feeling himself despite having a standout freshman season that included 786 minutes on the pitch, six starts, and being named Coastal Athletic Association Rookie of the Week. His symptoms of fatigue and frequent bruising prompted a visit to his local doctor. That visit triggered a whirlwind of tests, a medevac flight to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, and his eventual diagnosis of aplastic anemia, a rare and serious condition where the body stops producing enough new blood cells.
Webb’s hope of a cure was a bone marrow transplant and, miraculously, his sister was a 100% match. He underwent the procedure at Johns Hopkins in March of 2023 and, although the result was a cure, the toll on his body was heavy. Webb spent the next year recovering the 40 pounds he lost from the procedure, through individual workouts and a slow return to training with his team. He returned to the pitch with William & Mary on March 2, 2024, a few days shy of the first anniversary of his transplant.
“We are thrilled that we can help Webb celebrate overcoming such a serious illness and difficult recovery,” shared Emily Agueda, CWFund chairperson. “Being able to do this with the U.S. Men’s National Team while close to home for both our organization and Webb will be very special. We’d also like to thank Coach Norris, Al Albert, and the William & Mary men’s soccer team for inviting us to surprise Webb at their end-of-season banquet. And special thanks to William & Mary men’s soccer alum (‘83) Jon Stewart for sharing the news of Webb’s selection through a pre-recorded video. It was the icing on the cake of a wonderful day.”
The Craig Willinger Fund, formed in 2009, seeks to improve the lives of children and young adults stricken with critical illnesses by providing once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to experience world-class soccer—both domestically and abroad. Since 2010, fifteen honorees have traveled to South Africa, Barcelona, Milan, London, Madrid, New York City, Kansas City, Orlando, Washington D.C., Manchester (UK), Leicester (UK), and Brazil, including two World Cup tournaments and a UEFA Champions League Final. Visit www.cwfund.org for more information.
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FOR MEDIA INQUIRIES CONTACT:
Emily Agueda
443.739.6875
emily@cwfund.org