UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- On Saturday, April 16th, the Penn State men's soccer team welcomed its newest addition to the squad, 15-year-old Levi Hains from Lebanon, Pennsylvania.
At the age of two, Hains was diagnosed with Duchene muscular dystrophy, a progressive muscle wasting disease with no cure. On one of Hains' trips to Penn State Hershey, his case manager introduced him to the non-profit organization Team Impact. Team Impact is a therapeutic two-year program that matches children facing serious and chronic illness with college sports teams.
"Levi loves all sports," said his mother Perlita. "It was really just a perfect fit hearing that there was this organization that would help get a disabled child involved in something that he can't do, but he would love to do."
Team Impact paired Hains with the Penn State men's soccer program, and the team could not be more thrilled to have this new addition to their roster.
"He [Levi] adds something to the team that's really valuable," said sophomore midfielder and Team Impact leadership member, Peter Mangione. "His perseverance is something that we talk about a lot because we want to have that when we are playing in our fall season. Him and his family are really special to us."
Hains signed his letter of intent with the Nittany Lions last Saturday through a press conference ceremony in Rec Hall. The excitement from the coaches, Levi's family, and players was heartening.
"I believe we gain as much from having Levi with us as hopefully he gains from being attached to the Penn State men's soccer program," said head coach Jeff Cook. "It was just a really great moment being able to introduce him formally press conference style, a well-deserved round of applause and to see the happiness it brought him made Saturday a very special moment."
Hains joins the Nittany Lions' roster alongside 25 players that recently won the Big Ten Men's Soccer Tournament championship. Being able to have this opportunity with Team Impact and Penn State men's soccer means everything to Levi and his family.
"I want Levi to see how there are loving and compassionate people willing to help those in need," said his mother Perlita. "We want him to know that people care about him, even people who don't even know him that well. We are just happy that people are getting to know about our family, our son, and about Duchene."
Perlita notes that Levi's grandfather, uncle, and a number of other close family friends are Penn State graduates. Having this opportunity with not only just Team Impact, but Penn State is important to the Hains family so Levi catches a glimpse of not only the college experience, but the embodiment of what it means to be a Nittany Lion.
"Seeing Levi and his family come up here inspires me to put in 100% work every day," said Mangione. "They are all so happy despite the circumstances. When we come into training and practice every day, we are blessed with an opportunity to be a part of this program and to be able to compete on a daily basis. Levi provides that base of gratitude for us."
Junior midfielder Kyle May is from Hains' hometown (Lebanon, Pennsylvania) and previously knew him from high school. May is excited to have Hains as a familiar face on the team and for his other teammates to connect with him as not only a teammate but a friend as well.
"These moments are really important because it gives everyone perspective," said coach Cook. "Seeing what Levi is battling every day from a health perspective and despite that he has such a positive outlook on life, he perseveres. Seeing Levi smile with our coaches and players to me is what Penn State is truly all about and we want to learn from him."
In an interview with Hains, he mentioned his favorite sport is baseball, and he loves the Phillies. He loves spending time playing Fornite and he can beat his 22 and 20-year old brothers in a game any day. He also recently just got his first service dog.
When asked what he was looking forward to the most in the upcoming fall season, Hains said, "attending the games."
