LEAGUE CITY, Texas - Just when you think youth sports are out of control, here comes a story from the League City 49ers football team.
Seven-year-old Dawson Jones has stage four lymphoma, which is a T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Dawson's mother Schauna Clarke said the pee-wee football team has changed her and her son's life.
"It’s a second family," Clarke said. "They’re all really helpful when it comes to Dawson. They’re always asking him if he’s alright, and if he wants to help out doing something. And it boosts his morale because sometimes he kind of gets in a rut where he’s depressed about having to go to the hospital so much. But now he has something to look forward to."
The team — made up of mostly 11-year-old boys — recently took it upon themselves to vote Dawson homecoming king.
"They did it all on their own,” head coach David Hinkle, Jr. said.
The kids then decided to go one step further. With the support of the South Belt Dolphins, the boys helped Dawson realize his dream and score a touchdown. Video shows he ran for 25 glorious yards!
"It was a great moment for Dawson and everybody,” Hinkle said. "They're 10- and 11-year-old kids, and I think they understood there are bigger things in life than football."
A Go Fund Me page has been started to help Dawson's family cover his medical bills and other related expenses.
“We have seen him through some really hard times, multiple hospital stays, so watching him get to do something that he loves, and not have to worry about him getting hurt or anything on the field, was a really big moment for us. He kept saying I was so nervous, I was so happy and it was the best day ever," Clarke said.
