A special mascot led the Hillsdale Chargers football team onto the field at their Nov. 1 home game against Saginaw Valley State.
This mascot was Ryan Newbanks, a 19-year-old Charger fan and friend of punter senior Matt Eltringham.
Newbanks has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, “a genetic disorder characterized by progressive muscle degeneration and weakness,” according to the website of the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
Eltringham first came into contact with Newbanks in 2010 when his father, David Eltringham, became involved with the community effort of their hometown, Loveland, Ohio, to help renovate the Newbanks’ home to better accommodate Newbanks’ needs.
Matt, who ran a lawn-care business at the time, began to help his father with the renovation. It was then that he got to know Ryan, with whom he stayed in touch after he came to campus.
At one of the football team’s weekly Monday prayer sessions, Matt said he asked the team pray for Ryan. They’ve prayed for him every session since, and the mention initiated the process that eventually brought him to campus.
The Chargers had already been participating in Coach to Cure, a partnership between the American Football Coaches Association and Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy. Through this program, similarly-afflicted Jack Wolf has attend football games for the past several years, according to Otterbein. But interested parties had to clear some logistical hurdles before Ryan could come to a game.
“It never worked over the past couple years because of the amount of care Ryan needs,” Head Football Coach Keith Otterbein said.
Before he was able to come to Hillsdale, though, Ryan received team memorabilia, including a signed football and T-shirts, Matt said. But this year, they were finally able to bring him up.
On the Friday before the Saginaw Valley State home game, Ryan came to the football team dinner and went to a volleyball game before leading the team out onto the field and being present at the pre-game coin toss.
“I think he had a great time,” Otterbein said.
Eltringham agreed.
“It was a cool experience to see the smile on his face,” he said. “That was just a really special moment for him to be there.”
The Newbanks family said they were very grateful for the opportunity.
Though Duchenne has, among other things, confined Newbanks to a wheelchair, it definitely hasn’t stopped him from living his life.
“His attitude is inspiring. There’s no other word for it,” Otterbein said. “He can have such a tough time and approach it positively.”
Eltringham agreed.
“He’s such an inspiration,” he said. “He has a really positive outlook on life, and he lives every day to the fullest.”
Otterbein and Eltringham both said that Newbanks motivated the Chargers to perform better.
“We play pretty well when we can reach out and play for somebody else,” said Otterbein.
In fact, Eltringham hopes Newbanks will come back again, as he considers him a good luck charm.
“He led us to victory,” he said. “We’ve got to get him back for another game.”