Zachary, who is nearly 7, has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Every year he gets stronger and stronger and is able to participate in more physical activities. He is walking well, running, and learning to jump, throw, and kick a ball. But his ankles and legs still aren't strong enough to wear ice skates, so he doesn't ever get to ice skate like his big brother. We are such huge hockey and Caps fans, so the fact that he can't skate is a little frustrating to him. But during this event, he gets to go on the ice in a sled, and that makes it very special.
Since Zachary is such a pro at this by now, he had no trouble getting into the sled and was ready to go. He basically wanted to be pushed around the entire hour we were out there. He wasn't thrilled whenever we stopped. He also enjoyed holding a stick and trying to hit the foam pucks with the big kids.
We met Caps forwards Aaron Volpatti and Andre Burakovsky, Caps defenseman Karl Alzner, and Caps head coach Barry Trotz. They were really great with all the kids, getting down on their level and talking, skating, and playing with everyone.
It's great to see everyone interacting and having fun together - we look forward to this event every year!
Once again, I want to thank the Dreams for Kids organization and the Washington Capitals, whose community outreach via the MSE Foundation is just wonderful. I'm proud to be a fan and season ticket holder.
To see all the photos I took today, please check out my Google photos. All photos are copyrighted by me and may not be re-used without permission.
Thanks for reading!
UPDATE: Here are a few other articles/photos/videos from the day.
- Capitals Press Release
- CSN Washington video
- Dreams for Kids DC Facebook Photos
- Japer's Rink blog post/video - close-up on Zachary with Alzner at about 1:05
- USA Today FTW blog post
- WUSA 9 story
