Yaussi makes kicks last

Colin LindenmayerApril 26, 2008Even though she can't see the field, Macie Morse attends every Colorado Ice home game.Macie, a 15-year-old ninth grader at Wellington Junior High School, has optic nerve hypoplasia. Ice kicker Deric Yaussi has developed a fundraiser to pay for a procedure to hopefully cure the blindness-causing syndrome.The fundraiser, dubbed "Kickin' It For Macie," has its own announcement during halftime of United Indoor Football League games at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland. People are encouraged to donate any amount of money per point Yaussi scores this season. In addition, buckets are passed through the arena during the game to collect donations from the crowd."I've heard about other fundraisers throughout the league and I thought it was my turn," Yaussi said.At the Ice's home opener on April 10, fans donated over $1,000. Money collected from the Ice's April 18 game combined with other donation sources for Macie total about $11,000."We're getting donations from people all over that we don't even know and never heard of just because they know that Deric is doing this," Macie's mom, Rochelle Morse, said.Yaussi said he hopes to raise all the money for the procedure -- which costs about $30,000 and isn't offered in the U.S. -- but if the funds fall short, he's glad he gave the family a head start."The goal right now is just to raise as much as possible," Yaussi said. "(Macie's) family is very appreciative for what I'm doing."Optic nerve hypoplasia is one of the leading causes of blindness in children. The disorder causes fibers in the eyes' nerves to stop growing. The procedure the Morses have decided on, which is only offered in China, gives the patient cord blood stemcell injections. The blood comes from donated umbilical cords.Though Macie's operation would be considered a case study, the injections have been performed on 10 children, all of which experienced improvements in their vision. Macie has no vision in one eye and very poor vision in the other.When Yaussi informed the Morses he had decided to help raise money for the injection, the family flooded with emotion."Macie started crying. Her mom got real emotional," Yaussi said.Said Rochelle: "I don't even have words for it. People just don't do that nowadays."Yaussi met the Morses through his mom, Carol Yaussi, who works with Rochelle at Poudre High School. When the two became friends and introduced their families to each other, Yaussi found out about Macie's condition.He said he created the fund because he had the ability to help a family friend in need.The fundraiser isn't distracting Yaussi from his kicking. Heading into tonight's road game against the Omaha Beef, he ranks first among United Indoor Football League kickers in scoring with 56 points, first in field goals per game with 1.83, and first in point-after-touchdown percentage at 92 percent (23-for-25).

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