BRIGGSDALE, Colo. — One of the greatest things about sports is how they're filled with role models, and in the small, windy town of Briggsdale, Colorado is a story larger than life.
“I'm sure the first time that we put him out on the field most of the parents were like 'oh my God, he's gonna get hurt,' Briggsdale asst. coach/athletic trainer, Kevin Miller said. "But you know, we talked to the refs ahead of time and as soon as he catches the ball, he's down because you know you're down in football as soon as your knee hits.”
Carlos Valdez is a sophomore on the Briggsdale Falcons football team, he’s also a double amputee.
“Something I love about my team is they don't ever make me feel like I'm one of those kids without legs, because I know I don't have legs and stuff," Valdez said. "But they never make me feel like abnormal, I feel like a regular football player which means a lot to me.”
At just 9 years old, Valdez lost both of his legs in a boating accident and nearly his life. 5 months in the hospital, 3 of those in a coma, and 27 surgeries later, it would be a tough road to a sense of normalcy.
“I hated my life at that moment for a couple of years," Valdez said. "And then it kind of hit me that I can't let this hold me back. I can't let it destroy me.”
He’d pick back up on all of the things he loves, skiing, and horseback riding, and this season decided he’d play football for the very first time. Something his mom wasn’t all the way behind.
“Just the comments like how mean people are and how people hide behind the screen to say mean things," Lizeth Valdez said. "That's what I was afraid of was emotional damage.”
Ironically, that’s where Carlos would find his strength, on TikTok garnering millions of views.
“I see all those nasty things, all those nasty remarks as motivation," Valdez expressed. "That's what really makes me try harder and pushes me to do things.”
The No. 1 thing on that to-do list? Score his first touchdown in week two against Otis.
“So I ran out there past the endzone line," Carlos recalled. "And made the catch in my bicep. Then they picked me up and started passing me around like we do our concerts. It was one of the greatest feelings ever.”
Jerry Patterson would write it perfectly, 'And the Crowd goes wild.'
“When you have such an underdog and he actually gets to go do what he wants to do, it's such a hero story," Coach Miller expressed.
Showing us that one man’s significant loss can inspire the masses.
"I want to show people who have never seen anything like it before that it's possible," Valdez said. "That kids like me can play. That's absolutely possible. You're just gonna have to try a little bit harder, but it's definitely gonna be worth it in the end."
Carlos wants to be a Neurosurgeon when he grows up to help the kids at the Colorado Children's Hospital, just as he was helped.
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