Sep 13, 2011

Gifts for a brave young man

The Central Lakes College football team is showing its heart off the field as well as on it. The Raiders helped fulfill a birthday wish from James Dobson, a 12-year-old with an inoperable brain tumor. The Virginia boy loves football as played by college teams of all sizes, and when the CLC team heard of his wish to receive 1,000 birthday cards from players all over the world our student athletes decided to do more. They all signed the birthday card, to be sure. But they also sent James a CLC football shirt, cap, and copy of the latest game program so he can put faces with names as he peruses the CLC Football website. James, son of a Chancellor (Va.) High School coach, has battled brain cancer since he was 5. Doctors say he has two to three months before his health is predicted to decline, but the lad knows nothing but how to battle, and he's never giving up. Through years of chemo and radiation, this huge football fan rarely misses his older brother's Ferrum College games. The Raiders are inspired by a brave young man they've not met in person but know in their hearts.