LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — It was game on at Millersville University on Saturday.
Despite the rain, volunteers from Lancaster Nissan and Iron Leg, a Lancaster County nonprofit, took the field in support of one courageous little boy.
“We have a recipient tonight, Zeke Clark of Delaware, that lost his leg last year in a mowing accident,” said founder Matt Millhouse.
Zeke’s right leg was amputated due to the severity of the accident.
Nearly 6 months later, Zeke’s mother got an unexpected message on Facebook that she thought was too good to be true.
“It’s hard not to get emotional about it. I think at that point we already came across so many really good people that I knew it was just another blessing coming our way,” said Maria Clark.
Like Clark, Millhouse has a child with one leg and knows the potential financial strains that come from it.
That’s why he and Sean Laukhuff started Iron Leg, to provide up-to-date prosthetics for kids like Zeke.
“There’s just so much that comes to it and to actually be here today and see the fans walking in and see the players out here all dressed up and ready to go… I can’t tell you the feeling that we have right now, it’s just so awesome,” Laukhuff said.
“It may be an arm, a leg or a foot, it doesn’t matter to us as long as we’re helping, and a kid can just be a kid,” Millhouse added.
Organizers estimate around 3,000 people attended Saturday’s football game.
To date, the nonprofit, which has held various other sporting events, has provided four children with prosthetics.
When Millhouse and his team can’t flip the bill, they split the difference, ensuring each child has the chance to live the life they deserve.
“It’s definitely powerful when you see a community come together, like there’s no other word for it really,” Clark explained.
Zeke is expected to continue physical therapy and is on track to relearning how to run.
During the game, Zeke was seen playing and skipping on and off the field; his mother said it was his first football game.