NOVI, MI (WCMH) — A midseason football game became so much more for one high school water boy Friday night.
Robby Heil, a senior with Down syndrome, has served as the Novi High School football team’s water boy for a long time. Friday night, he got his chance to see what it was like to play on the team. Heil carried the ball on a 36-yard run, scoring a touchdown in the first half of Novi’s game against South Lyon East.
Robbie’s mother Debbie, who is fighting advanced-stage cancer, had no idea what was going to happen. When the team learned about her battle with cancer, Novi head coach Jeff Burnside and South Lyon East head coach came up with a plan to have Heil carry the ball on an untimed play. While the play didn’t count on the scoreboard, it’s a moment players, fans and family will remember for a long time.
“This team has been instrumental in helping me get him to practice while I’m at chemo,” Debbie told WDIV. “It takes a village to raise my son and this village has really been outstanding.”
“No matter how bad a day he’s having, it’s a smile from ear to ear,” Burnside said. “And the opportunity to put that helmet on tonight, it brought tears to my eyes to night and tears all over the place.”CNN Newsource contributed to this report