Nov. 20, 2014
Schwab Fund – Donation Page
Schwab Recovery – Update Page
Less than six months after diabetes affected one of its own, the University of Notre Dame women’s basketball team continues to take up the challenge to spread awareness of the chronic disease.
The Fighting Irish will hold their first Diabetes Awareness Day on Sunday when Notre Dame plays host to Holy Cross at 5 p.m. (ET) at Purcell Pavilion on the first day of the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame Women’s Basketball Challenge. Harvard and Quinnipiac will meet at 7 p.m. (ET) Sunday in the nightcap on day one of the three-day Hall of Fame Challenge.
During Sunday’s games, Notre Dame will have numerous tables set up in Heritage Hall at the Joyce Center (upper concourse, east of Purcell Pavilion) with information on diabetes awareness and prevention. The Fighting Irish also will be selling koozies and bracelets to help defray medical expenses for Notre Dame women’s basketball operations specialist Katie Schwab, a 2013 graduate of Saint Mary’s College who has been hospitalized since June 9 following life-threatening complications related to her Type I diabetes.
“Diabetes is a terrible disease that has affected nearly 400 million people worldwide and that number will be close to half a billion in the next 20 years,” Notre Dame head women’s basketball coach Muffet McGraw said. “Nearly everyone has a relative or friend who is dealing with diabetes, and certainly all of us in the Notre Dame women’s basketball family know of Katie’s continuing battle. Sunday’s Diabetes Awareness Day is our first chance to help spread the word about diabetes and how it can be prevented and treated, and we hope our fans will join us in this very important cause.”
Fans who wish to make a donation to the Katie Schwab Fund, but who are not able to attend Sunday’s game, may go online to http://ndwbb.com/teamkatie.
On August 10, close to 200 of Schwab’s family, friends and supporters (a group informally as “Team Katie,” held a fundraising social at the historic Linebacker Lounge in South Bend, collecting more than $21,000 for Schwab’s medical expenses through a live auction, as well as online and on-site donations.
Schwab’s family and friends have set up a page on the CaringBridge web site (http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/katieschwab) to provide well-wishers with updates on her condition. Supporters who would like to send Schwab notes, cards or other words of encouragement are asked to send them to the Notre Dame women’s basketball office (C113 Joyce Center, First Floor, Notre Dame, IN 46556) or to stop by the women’s basketball office located at Gate 1 of Purcell Pavilion from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. (ET) weekdays. Members of the Fighting Irish staff continue to make regular visits to see Schwab and her family and will be happy to deliver your messages.
The No. 3/2 Notre Dame women’s basketball team returns to action at 5 p.m. (ET) Friday when it plays host to Chattanooga at Purcell Pavilion. The game will be streamed live and free of charge on the official Fighting Irish athletics multimedia platform, WatchND, and it is the opener of an arena doubleheader with the Notre Dame volleyball team playing host to nationally-ranked North Carolina at 8 p.m. (ET) Friday–fans holding tickets for Friday’s women’s basketball game are invited to watch the volleyball match for free.
As a reminder, there will be enhanced parking plans in place for Friday’s games due to the number of athletics events on the Notre Dame campus. Please visit UND.com/parking for details, including a printable map of available parking areas and shuttle bus options near Purcell Pavilion.
For more information on the Notre Dame women’s basketball program, sign up to follow the Fighting Irish women’s basketball Twitter pages (@NDsidMasters or @ndwbb), like the program on Facebook (facebook.com/ndwbb) or register for the Irish ALERT text-messaging system through the “Fan Center” pulldown menu on the front page at UND.com.
— Chris Masters, Associate Athletic Media Relations Director