Former Univ. of Iowa athlete extending Hawkeye Wave beyond Iowa City

ORLANDO, Florida (KWQC) - A former University of Iowa athlete is extending “The Wave” to beyond Iowa City.

Kimberley Stevens is a former Hawkeye swimmer, who is actually in the school’s Athletics Hall of Fame.

She’s also a mother who’s spent years of her life inside the hospital.

Her son passed away in the early 90’s from an illness that causes toxic substances that build up in the blood.

Just a couple of years later, Steven’s daughter Victoria was diagnosed with the same disease.

Against the odds, Victoria is turning 30 years old this month.

To honor her daughter’s birthday and spread hope to children in the hospital, Stevens is bringing the wave to a children’s hospital in her hometown of Orlando.

“When I think about our experience, and then I think about people going through that now, my heart just breaks,” Stevens said. “I know something as simple as the wave changes [their] day.”

Stevens says dozens of gifts have been delivered to the children’s hospital in Orlando, including t-shirts and gift cards to help their families pay for food.

“Seeing the gratitude and just the joy on people’s faces that they were remembered, and that people were thinking of them and wanted to do something to change the trajectory of their day, changed my day,” Stevens said. “To change someone’s day slightly makes all the difference in the world when you are a parent or a child in the hospital.”

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