Webb Kosich has always played soccer at a very high level since his youthful days growing up in St. Mary’s County’s Hollywood community, but a month after finishing his freshman season with the William & Mary men’s college soccer team, the 2022 St. Mary’s Ryken High School graduate realized that something was inherently wrong.
Kosich had started six games as a freshman at William & Mary, eventually getting 786 minutes of playing time and even one designation as the Coastal Athletic Association Rookie of the Week.
But over the semester break, Kosich soon felt overwhelmed by symptoms of fatigue and frequent bruising. Following a myriad of tests, he was diagnosed with Aplastic anemia, a rare and serious condition which occurs when the body stops producing enough new blood cells.
“It was in January of 2023 and I was at home on break after just coming off my freshman season,” Kosich said. “Then I remember feeling sick and then I had a number of bruises. I had basically been playing soccer my whole life and never experienced anything like that before. I was flown to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore and after a week of tests they diagnosed me with Aplastic Anemia.”
Webb noted that he spent the next six weeks in the hospital after getting a bone marrow transplant from his sister, Julia Kosich, but the constant effects of the treatment caused him to lose considerable weight and most of his hair. Having spent his freshman season near 170 pounds, Kosich was down to 130 pounds when he left the hospital to begin his road to recovery.
“After all the chemo, I had lost a lot of weight and most of my hair and I was basically in a hotel for patients for over a month,” Kosich said. “It was probably not until that fall when I was able to get back on the field just to join my teammates. I red-shirted my second year, but I went to all of the home games and some of the road games to support my teammates.”
This Saturday, June 8, the Craig Willinger Fund will seek to augment Kosich’s road to recovery when he becomes the nonprofit’s 16th honoree. He will get to see the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team at Commanders Field in Prince George’s County at the team’s friendly against Colombia.
Formed in 2009, the Craig Willinger Fund seeks to improve the lives of children and young adults stricken with critical illnesses by providing them with the chance to experience world-class soccer.
“We are thrilled that we can help Webb celebrate overcoming such a serious illness and difficult recovery,” Emily Agueda, the Craig Willinger Fund chairperson, said in a release. “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.”
Kosich knew something was in the works when his father, Jeff Kosich, showed up at his college awards banquet completely unannounced.
“I was surprised to see him there,” Webb Kosich said. “Then they gave me the comeback player of the year award and then announced there was one more award for me. They played the video featuring Jon Stewart, who was a William & Mary alum, and he announced that I had been chosen by the Craig Willinger Fund” for a match day experience on June 8 at the U.S. versus Columbia game.
Kosich, who played three seasons of boys’ varsity soccer at Ryken, losing his junior year to the COVID-19 pandemic which nixed fall sports in 2020, plans to use his remaining three years of playing eligibility at William & Mary.
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