1-year-old son of legendary blind USC long snapper Jake Olson rings bell after cancer battle

LOS ANGELES – A resilient family is turning a personal fight into a mission to raise awareness about retinoblastoma, a rare childhood eye cancer.

What we know:

Rowan Olson marked the end of his cancer treatment by ringing the bell at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA). The milestone comes after the infant was diagnosed with retinoblastoma in both eyes in January 2025, just days after he was born.

Rowan underwent months of chemotherapy and laser treatments to combat the tumors. To receive this specialized care, the family traveled cross-country from Florida to Los Angeles. Doctors at CHLA confirmed that the cancer is now inactive.

The medical team utilized groundbreaking technology to save Rowan’s vision, including a liquid biopsy developed at CHLA. This test uses fluid from inside the eye to determine if the cancer is active or inactive. Because of his father’s history with the disease, doctors checked Rowan’s eyes immediately after birth, detecting tumors smaller than a millimeter.

The backstory:

Rowan’s father, Jake Olson, lost his own vision to the same rare cancer. Jake became well-known as the first completely blind Division I football player, serving as a long snapper for the USC Trojans.

The story came full circle at CHLA, where some of the same medical staff who treated Jake decades ago, including Dr. Rima Jubran, stepped in to treat his son. While medical limitations at the time resulted in Jake losing his sight, decades of medical advances allowed doctors to intervene much earlier for Rowan.

What they’re saying:

“It was just devastating to realize that he’s going to have to go through some of the things I went through,” said Jake Olson regarding the initial diagnosis. After the successful treatment, he added, “I really do hope he takes in every second of his life appreciating the gift he has of eyesight.”

Audrey Olson, Rowan’s mother, described the diagnosis shortly after birth as “gut-wrenching,” noting she was only “six days fresh with his newborn and postpartum.”

Dr. Jesse Berry, who treated Rowan, shared a text she received from Jake: “His dad, Jake, texted me and said, you know Rowan’s looking out the plane window and he’s looking at the other planes and it brings them a lot of joy to see that their son has vision.”

What you can do:

Doctors say parents are often the first to spot retinoblastoma. One of the earliest warning signs can be detected in a simple flash photo:

• Look for a white glow in the pupil instead of the typical “red eye.”
• Watch for enlarged pupils or sudden changes in vision.

Experts stress that if you notice any of these signs, it is critical to have your child’s eyes checked immediately, as early detection is vital. For more information, readers can visit chla.org.