TOWSON, Md. – The Towson University swimming and diving program has partnered with the Amazing Grace Organization, a non-profit foundation that provides financial support for clinical trials that focus on treating Osteosarcoma and families fighting the battle against pediatric cancer.
 
The organization was founded by Grace Waller, a former NCAA Division I swimmer at Oakland University, who was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma as a high school student in 2008. It was created to provide those battling cancer with personalized care packages uniquely designed to offer entertainment and comfort throughout the duration of their treatment.
 
Towson created a training set that includes 20x200s during the month of January to raise funds and awareness for the Amazing Grace Organization. Each 200-yard swim represents one of the 20 rounds of chemotherapy that Waller endured during her treatment. Towson is dedicating its swim in honor of all cancer patients, past and present. Fans can donate to the Towson's fundraising page and learn more about the organization here.
 
"One of the things that we talked about with our swimmers was how many of them worry about little things and that in the grand scheme of things, how fortunate a lot of us are," head coach Jake Shrum said. "For us to be able to do something that benefits this organization, helps ground us more."
 
"Our divers are doing 20 of a certain dive and our swimmers are doing 20 200-yard swims," Shrum explained. "A lot of it was very fast swimming, so we encouraged them that when they got a break, to think about what swimming means to them. When they're swimming fast and starting to hurt, to remember that they're hurting from swimming and there are a lot of things that can hurt a lot worse."
 
The Amazing Grace Organization is a non-profit corporation and operates exclusively for charitable purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or the corresponding section of any future Federal tax code.