Derick, a 14-year-old Triad High School freshman, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma when he was 8. The disease left some bones in his left leg weak. To correct that, a rotationplasty (a complicated procedure that included turning the ankle into the knee joint) was supposed to keep his leg. Instead, it was amputated just above the knee.
He received his first prosthetic leg in October of last year, and a Cheetah Flex-Foot, an upgrade, in September.
“At least I’m playing football. That’s always fun,” he said in the Triad field house on Wednesday, Oct. 20. He smiled and joked with his teammates and coaches. He’s always upbeat.
Derick amazed his doctors and his family when he received the Cheetah and was immediately running in the parking lot.
“I can do all the stuff I couldn’t do, like run, jump and hop,” he said. “I couldn’t do anything (before the prosthetic). Now I can do everything.”
Before the Cheetah, on a skiing trip last year, instructors wanted Derick to use adaptive equipment. He took a few trips down the beginner hill and then was on his own.
At a regional Paralympic Games this summer, also before the Cheetah, Derick won five medals. He didn’t pursue track and field because it’s not a team sport.
That’s where football fits in. It’s easy to beat a cornerback after he’s conquered cancer. He’s been cancer-free for six years.
Football, finally, is his reward. Derick joins his teammates on the practice field daily. You can watch him sprint up and down the sideline as he perfects his running motion.
Payton Printz, Triad’s head football coach, said the 5-foot-3, 120-pound freshman might one day start for the varsity team. It’ll probably be as a possession receiver, Printz said. Not a bad gig, considering the Cardinals throw the football on most plays from scrimmage.
In the meantime, Derick will go to school and continue to grow.
“You have to savor it. Every day flies by,” he said. “You enjoy every moment, talk to my friends, I try to learn everything I can learn, and keep up with all my class work.
“In middle school, they force you to learn. In high school, it’s your choice. You can learn and pass and get a good job, or you can fail and not really succeed.”
He was talking about football. He could have easily been talking about life.
C
ontact this reporter at (937) 328-0366 or bplasters@coxohio.com.
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