Former Make-A-Wish Recipient to Compete at PSAC Swimming Championships
York, Pa. - When East Stroudsburg women’s swimmer Kelly Buyaskas got the news that she was cleared to compete at the upcoming PSAC Swimming Championships, she was beyond ecstatic. She had once again proved to herself, teammates, coach, and campus community that her cystic fibrosis wasn’t going to stop her from swimming.
Earlier this season, Buyaskas, a sophomore from Clifton Park, N.Y., qualified for the league championship in the 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle and 100 breaststroke. However, in January, a sudden case of the flu followed by a collapsed lung landed her in the hospital for two weeks, jeopardizing her PSAC Championship future.
But Head Coach Lisa Pizzuto had an idea. Pizzuto explained the situation to the PSAC Swimming Championships Committee, comprised of four head coaches and the league swimming administrative liaison. The committee agreed to allow Buyaskas to swim time trials at the event hosted by the York YMCA from February 19-22.
“She had just suffered from the flu and spent two weeks in the hospital. In the last six and a half weeks she has probably been in school for a week, so I was hoping she was going to be able to participate in the championship some way shape or form,” said Pizzuto. “It was breaking my heart that she might not be able to swim at the meet, and I thought that giving her an opportunity to swim a time trial would be really special.”
“The whole time I was in the hospital I didn’t know if I was going to be able to swim,” Buyaskas said. “I was so relieved when coach told me I was cleared, because I didn’t want all my hard work to go to waste and let my disease get in the way of me competing.”
Cystic fibrosis is a life-threatening genetic disease that primarily affects the lungs and digestive system. Due to a defective gene’s protein product, the disease can cause lung infections and obstruct the pancreas from breaking down food. Approximately 30,000 children and adults in the United States live with cystic fibrosis.
Each team competing at the championship is permitted to bring 18 swimmers. East Stroudsburg qualified 19 swimmers and Buyaskas would have been one of its top 18 had she not become ill. She will likely time trial in the events she qualified in (50, 100 freestyle, 100 breaststroke) and possibly the 100 butterfly.
“It means the world to me, to be able to swim in college,” said Buyaskas. “When I was little, I started swimming to stay healthy. I’ve defeated the odds. Everyone always said to me ‘It’s okay if you feel like you can’t do it,’ but I tell them that I’m not most people, and I do it.”
When asked about her perseverance through such a roller coaster of health issues this winter she simply said, “I try to not let it get to me, because if it does, it isn’t healthy. If I were negative, it would yield negative results for myself.”
“Even when we were recruiting her, her health had always been fragile,” said Pizzuto. “There have been many championships and meets that she hasn’t been able to participate in. She just battles back, and she came back this year in great shape and swam fabulously at our meets early on and then she gets hit with a collapsed lung. But she never stopped asking, ‘Coach, when can I swim?’”
In 2012, the Donna M. Crandall Memorial Foundation, a charity established to help people with cystic fibrosis, and Make-A-Wish sent then-17-year-old Buyaskas and her family to the London Olympics’ opening ceremonies. While in London, Buyaskas watched the preliminary swimming events, including a race with medalist Ryan Lochte, and met breaststroke gold medalist Rebecca Soni.
Inspired by Buyaskas, the PSAC will have donation cans located at the entrance of the PSAC Championship during each session. All proceeds will be donated to Make-A-Wish and go towards the league’s annual Make-A-Wish total as part of NCAA Division II’s partnership with the foundation.