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Damon Hodges has prosthetic legs, but his heart is real
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Damon Hodges
has prosthetic legs, but his heart is real
By Greg Gulas
LIBERTY
A play call will come soon from Liberty High School football coach Chet Allen, and it will put a smile on the faces of Dra Rushton and his teammates.
It matters not if it’s a run, a pass or a toss; offense or defense.
The play will simply be Coach Chet Allen inserting into the lineup junior Damon Hodges.
Whatever the outcome of the play, it will be a great one for Liberty.
“Seeing [Damon] on the field that very first time is going to put a smile on mine and everyone else’s face,” Rushton said. “He always has a smile on his face and makes everyone else around him smile.”
Damon, a defensive end for the Leopards, is finally getting his chance to play his beloved football this year.
His heart was always there. He’s just never had the legs.
At age 2, Hodges’ legs were amputated below the knee as a result of complications at birth. The umbilical cord wrapped around his legs, never allowing them to develop. It also wrapped around his twin brother, and he did not survive.
Prosthetic legs have taken him everywhere his entire life. And now, they’re about to take him to a varsity football letter at Liberty.
“Many told me that I would never walk or have a normal life, but things have really worked out for me,” Hodges said.
It’s been a hard path in so many ways.
Shelika Wilder, Hodges’ mother, was hesitant at first to let Damon play. But now she is excited at how far her son has come in such a short period of time.
“I had to go through a lot and so did Damon during those early years, but he never complained, and to this day, has never asked me why he was born this way,” Wilder said.
“He always has a smile on his face and just wants to be like everyone else. He enjoys being an independent child.”
Another hardship feeds Damon’s determination.
“He lost his father [Damon Hodges Sr.] at age 12 and they were very, very close,” Wilder said. “His father would always encourage him and tell him that if you put your mind to something, you can achieve that goal.”
His academics became an issue sophomore year. He hit summer school and summer training at Liberty.
Allen said Hodges is one of the Leopards’ most popular players.
“I want our players to do things the right way and I have never had a player want something as bad as Damon when it comes to his desire to play football,” Allen said.
“He understood what he needed to do academically in order to realize his dream, then went out and made that dream come true. He’s a hard worker, has the heart and now he’s developing a football sense.”
“Coach Allen doesn’t sugarcoat anything,” Hodges said. “He tells you what you have done right or wrong and we all learn by our mistakes. I like it that way and really appreciate his encouragement.”
Realizing his dream required the help of a Warren medical company and the state athletics association.
Jean Pasini, of Orthotics and Prosthetics Rehabilitation Engineering in Warren, has been working with Hodges since he was in first grade.
“Damon broke one prosthesis during practice this past Monday, and I had to make sure that we had another one for him just so he could resume his regular schedule in school and at practice,” Pasini said. “His prostheses are composed of carbon graphite and I will have a new one ready for him prior to their game this Friday.”
Pasini’s one concern is that she doesn’t want anyone to get hurt. But she understands her patient’s motivation to compete.
“I don’t want to see Damon — or anyone else for that fact — get hurt, but this is one great opportunity for him,” she said. “He’s worked so very hard to make this happen. We can get hurt doing anything, especially athletes. But we have to put ourselves out there. Physically challenged athletes deserve the right to play and while I feel that he might be better off playing basketball or running track, I am happy that he has been given the opportunity to play football. An athlete is an athlete and I am humbled by the strides that Damon has made.”
In order for Hodges to play this season, the Ohio High School Athletic Association had to approve Liberty’s request after the school submitted documentation and a detailed account of the protection that they would provide for Damon’s prosthetic legs.
Allen said all of the necessary safety precautions are being taken, adding that his hard work will pay off at game time.
“We are doing everything so that Damon can realize his dream and he will play this year, which will be sooner than later,” Allen stated.
In a letter to Liberty athletic director Jim DeToro dated Aug. 22, OHSAA assistant commissioner Beau Rugg wrote: “I have reviewed all the materials sent to me by you, and in accordance with National Federation Rules, permission is granted for the athlete to wear his prosthetic device during competition. This permit will serve him through his high school career.”
Leopards athletic trainer Aaron Galpert said precautions are in place to ensure everyone’s safety.
“Damon is special because of his contagious smile and attitude, and kudos to him for even trying to play football,’ Galpert said. “We have specific foam padding that Jean has already made and we’ve manufactured some by adding foam to it. He will be padded from his shoe to the top of the knee, of which we had to submit pictures to the OHSAA for their approval.”
DeToro said Damon’s commitment on the field is matched in the classroom.
“I had the opportunity to be Damon’s instructor last year in an online science class, and he was one of the most conscientious students in the program,” DeToro said. “He was constantly taking notes and studying for the exams and since his class time was in the afternoon and my classroom is located directly across from our fitness room, I’d see Damon get ready for the offseason football workouts immediately after class.
“Unless you knew that Damon did not have his own legs, you would not have noticed anything different and I am sure that is the way we all want to have it.”
Even Hodges seems to forget his perceived limitations.
“Damon is a silly guy who doesn’t even acknowledge the fact that he has no legs,” Rushton said.
English teacher Joyce Blythe and health teacher Danielle Songer are both impressed with Hodges’ development.
“Damon was a follower who used to go with the flow, but since he’s gotten involved in football he’s become a role model, especially to our younger kids,” Blythe said.
Said Songer: “With Damon, if you didn’t see his handicap visually then you wouldn’t know he had any physical limitations. He’s come a long way and isn’t afraid to ask for help, but never asks for an assist for anything that is physical.”
Liberty High School principal Rocco Adduci said Hodges is a student who brings out the best in those around him.
Assistant principal Akesha Joseph said a goal-setting session she helped him to establish became his guide.
“I baited Damon to take ownership of the goals that he set,” Joseph said. “Most of all, he needed to take ownership of his education and that he did from the very first day.
“This is just the end result of him taking ownership of those goals.”
Damon’s mother said he was goals beyond even playing for Leopards — and the commitment to reach them.
“Not because he’s my son, but he works so hard and is respectful and I have yet to meet anyone like him with a desire to succeed,” Wilder said. “He always tells me that he will be the first player with prosthetic legs to play in the NFL.”