Spending four years as his school’s water boy, a Michigan high school senior- Robby Heil, who has down syndrome, scored a touchdown during a football game. The most emotional part about this– the mother’s reaction from the event.
“[When] everyone was chanting ‘Robby! Robby!’ I started to get emotional,” said Debbie Heil. “It was a special moment that really had an impact on Robby.”
Robby’s football mates in Novi, said Robby faithfully attended almost every football practice and game to fill water bottles and keep his teammates hydrated. His teammates call him the “hydration engineer,” and they truly enjoy Robby’s presence and energy.
“We learn more from Robby than Robby learned from us. He attacks every day with joy and enthusiasm. He doesn’t have a bad day,” said Jeff Burnside, the head coach of the Wildcats. “He’s always happy. It is infectious.”
Burnside loved Robby and wanted to do something special for him. He thought about it for a while and then an idea struck him. “I thought ‘I am going to get him a carry before he graduates,’” Burnside said. “I wanted to give him a week that he could remember. Not just that one moment, but that week.”
A week prior to the game, Burnside invited Robby into his office and asked him if he wanted to practice for the upcoming game. Robby immediately agreed, got his father to sign off on it, but kept it a secret from his mother. Debbie Heil has been battling cancer and Burnside thought seeing her son play football would renew her spirits.
For the whole week, the team practiced and perfected their play. The play was simple. Robby would take a handoff from the quarterback and then run the ball into the end zone.
“He loved every second of it,” Burnside said. “He actually had a grin the entire time. We put him through the paces all week and it was a true experience.” Robby was so excited that he even spilled the beans…
He ended up telling his mother he was playing in the game, but Heil didn’t believe him. It wasn’t until the night before that she learned Robby was really playing. She thought they’d let him play during halftime, but she had no idea he would actually be a part of the game.
As Debbie Heil watched on the sidelines, she heard the crowd cheer “Robby” and saw her son enter the game. He took the handoff from the quarterback and ran down the field as the defense chased after him.
It’s incredible that Burnside was able to coordinate this whole event and actually make it happen. With his efforts, he was able to give this family something that they would never forget. An amazing story to read about.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
