Miracle League helps kids with special abilities play ball on adaptive field

On a baseball diamond in Lake Orion, dreams are coming true every Saturday this summer.

Throughout the years, community members from across northern Oakland County have been coming together to create a " Miracle League " where children and adults with mental and physical disabilities, or as many call them, "special abilities," are able to come and play.

That feeling of a while crowd of fans cheering just for you; your coach giving you a pep talk before the game; placing your hand to your heart as the National Anthem rings through the air; These are all transformative childhood experiences that not every child gets to have.

"We continued to sign him up for the different leagues and we would go and they would say, 'well he doesn’t qualify for this’ or ‘he might get hurt out there,’ or ‘he’s not up to par like the other kids,’ and so forth. So it was rejection, after rejection, after rejection, so that broke our heart," Nina Byrne, who helped create the Miracle League of North Oakland. She was talking about her son, Johnny.

In 2017, the Byrne and Thurman families got to talking about the shared heartbreak. At the time, their children, Johnny and Allison, had become friends.

Johnny is a happy, loving child with Down Syndrome. Allison is an inspiring, athletic child with cerebral palsy.

Both were yearning for those competitive and bonding moments you only find on a sports field, but needing an environment different than the status quo.

"You feel so defeated, and feel that there is something that you can do and you should do, so there wasn’t a stone that we left unturned," Nina said.

That's when these Clarkston families learned about Miracle Leagues. They're baseball diamonds that remove the barriers and offer a sports experience for children and adults with special abilities.

They found a Miracle League field in Southfield, but it had a multi-year-long wait list, so the Byrnes and Thurmans decided to create their own.

John, Mike, Erica and I decided to do this. We reached out to so many people in the community, and that point we never received a no," Nina said.

"It was a big team effort," Mike Thurman said.

"The community owns this, and I think that’s the biggest part, the game changer, and you can see by the amount of attendees that come out just to watch a game every Saturday," John Byrne said.

WATCH BELOW: See Allison step up to the plate and go around the bases at Miracle Field below!

See Allison hit the ball and go around the bases at Miracle Field

Because of the overwhelming community support, in 2019, all of this magic was created. Now, the Miracle League of North Oakland at Friendship Park is playing in Lake Orion.

"Johnny the bossman, Burn the hitter, let’s hear it for Johnny," the announce said as Johnny was announced.

A main barrier for kids with special abilities is a traditional baseball field because it's made out of grass.

WATCH BELOW: See Johnny step up to the plate and go around the bases at Miracle Field below

Johnny Byrne hits the ball at Miracle Field

Think about trying to move a walker or a wheelchair through that.

At Miracle League, a baseball field is made out of rubber.

"Our number one rule is just everyone has fun, so every other rule is flexible," Susie Glasgow, the team support specialist at Easterseals MORC Miracle League. "Not everybody is going to stop at first base, we’d like to see that sometimes, but we go with the flow and let them tell us how they want the game to go."

Easterseals MORC oversees the Miracle Field, and even finds jobs at the games for past players.

"What have you learned through this job?" I asked.

"A lot of emotional stuff like pace yourself and don’t rush stuff and don’t overwhelm people," E Vlaeminck said. "It’s just been magical working with Easter Seals Morque and representing people like me."

"So Sammy went from being nonverbal to semi verbal and this helps, he gets to do things like other kids," Marty Alwardt, a grandparent of a Miracle League athlete.

"Zach is a natural athlete I might just brag," Alsina McMorris, a parent, said.

"When you’re out there playing baseball with your friends, how do you feel?" I asked Allison.

"I feel a lot of joy," she said.

Each Miracle League player walks onto the field to their own theme song. They're not watching their siblings or other kids play. They're the stars of the show.

"This gives them the opportunity to be a kid, to shine, to have a spotlight on them instead of always being pushed in a corner," Alwardt said.

On Saturdays, it's 75 minutes of summer baseball on Saturdays, and it's a transformative childhood experience these athletes, and all their fans, will cherish their entire lives.

"I can’t put it into words, it is just so uplifting," John said.

Miracle League of North Oakland said they are always looking for more fans to come to their games. They're looking for buddies and donations.

For more information, visit the Miracle League of North Oakland website .

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