STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Some other news now, which might make you cry. Just letting you know in case you're driving or doing makeup. Van Le is the person the story's about. Van Le is a custodian at a Texas high school where people love him. So when students learned that a long hospital stay made it hard for him to keep up with bills, the school's swim team decided to pitch in.
SAMANTHA SLOAN: I was thinking how we could incorporate swimming with helping this man, and a swim-a-thon just, like, immediately popped into my mind.
INSKEEP: Swim-a-thon. That's Mustangs team swimmer Samantha Sloan. She's a freshman at J.J. Pearce High School in Richardson, Texas, and helped to organize the fundraiser. Her teammate Sophia Nidam was excited to help.
SOPHIA NIDAM: Our swim team is kind of just, like, a big family. So when we all, like, heard about the story, when Coach texted us, all of the - when we all read it, we were like, we have to do this. And when one of us, like, needs something, we all band together to help them.
INSKEEP: Eric Ewing is the head coach of the Mustangs. He would often see Le before those hospital stays. Le immigrated from Vietnam, doesn't speak much English, but Ewing says they connected.
ERIC EWING: He would say, hi, Teacher, or, good morning, Teacher. And then we just sort of did this every time, even to the point where sometimes I would give him a hug or he would give me a hug.
INSKEEP: Before the swim-a-thon started, Ewing and the team had a big pep talk, and then they were off.
EWING: We just turned the music up really loud in the...
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Yeah.
EWING: ...Natatorium, played a lot of uplifting music. Samantha is also a cheerleader, and she made signs. And she was cheering, and we had other parents there cheering and other students there cheering. So it was a pretty upbeat moment.
INSKEEP: Here's Nidam again.
NIDAM: Honestly, swimming it was just like - you had such a purpose that it didn't really feel that long. It was 4,000 meters, but it didn't feel that long because you felt so purposeful.
INSKEEP: Just 4,000 meters. The fundraiser netted around $21,000 for Van Le, who also got a few extra things.
EWING: We also got him a new bicycle, and then we had one of our alumni also donate a car.
INSKEEP: Van Le thanked the students and the coaches and told CBS News affiliate KTVT...
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
VAN LE: This school is my future and my life.
INSKEEP: The gifts from that school will help Van Le plan for a longer life ahead.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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