Young athlete overcomes physical challenges

Posted: 05/17/2011
Last Updated: 17 hours and 4 minutes ago


By: Jason Pugh
DELRAY BEACH, Fla. - It's usually the parent that tries to inspire and motivate their children, but every now and then it's the other way around.

11-year-old Mikey Stolzenberg isn't the best player on his lacrosse team, however everyone would agree, he's the most courageous.

Three years ago, Mikey suffered from a rare immune disease that nearly took his life. During his seven week battle, doctors had to amputate both of his hands, and both feet.

"Now that he's growing every six months, he needs to get new sockets," says Mikey's dad, Keith Stolzenberg. "He doesn't wear arm prosthetics because they are too heavy and frankly the technology is not as good as what he can do with his arms as it is. He writes, he eats, he does just about everything."

This past weekend, the Pockets and Sockets Lacrosse Tournament took place to benefit the Mikey Stolzenberg trust, which will allow Mikey's family to purchase superior prosthetics so he can continue to participate in physical activities.

"His smile, his happiness, he doesn't let anything stop him," says event organizer Jennifer Bolger.

"This is great, I really liked it," says Mikey. "I thanked everybody for coming and I even get to play in my own tournament."

He even gave fans another reason to cheer. He scored a goal.

"I had a couple of misses, wasn't sure what to do, but then I got the hang of it and I scored," Mikey said.