Despite having a leg amputation and only having two fingers on his left hand, 9-year-old Ezra Frech strives every day to “make it happen.” He set seven national track and field records this year and was recently nominated as Sports Illustrated Kids SportsKid of the Year.
Kids in the House recently sat down with Ezra to hear his story and listen to how he has become motivated to rise above his differences.
Ezra was born with a shorter left leg and only one finger on his left hand. When he was only 2 years old, Ezra underwent extensive surgery to amputate his foot on the shorter leg and use one of his toes to create a second finger on his left hand. Now, Ezra uses a prosthetic leg not just to walk around, but to compete in sports including basketball, football, karate, and track and field.
“When I play sports, it makes me feel at home, and I’m not thinking about being different,” says Ezra. “And I just feel like I am one of the guys.”
Throughout the years, Ezra has worked hard to make his dreams come true. This summer, after an extensive training program, he won eight medals at the National Junior Disability Championships. He has loved sports from a very young age and even learned to count using the time clock on the screen during LA Lakers games. All the watching and practice paid off as he led his basketball team to an undefeated record this summer. He is also the quarterback for his school’s football team.
Ezra’s parents have been instrumental to his positive and motivated attitude. “I think your job as a parent is to help your child get the most out of life,” says Clayton Frech, Ezra’s father.
“He needs his parents to empathize with him…. We can feel the pain with him, but we also need to talk about all the great things,” explains Bahar Soomekh, Ezra’s mom.
Ezra visits schools each year to share with young kids what he has gone through and that being different is okay. He inspires everyone he talks with, sharing the message that no matter what your circumstances, you can achieve your dreams.
“I am so proud of this story about Ezra because he inspires us all to overcome and move ahead,” says Leana Greene, CEO of Kids in the House.
“You can do anything you want to. You can dream it, you can hope it, or you can make it happen. I choose in my life to make it happen because that’s the only way you are going to get it,” says Ezra.
For more information about Ezra, watch the video at http://youtu.be/TNLyuncX7Cc. To vote for Ezra as SportsKid of the Year, visit www.sikids.com/skoty. Voting closes at 12 p.m. ET on October 13.
Source: Kids in the House