Six-year-old Braylon O’Neill, from Cranston, RI, was born with a genetic birth defect missing the tibia and fibula bones in both of his legs (congenital bilateral tibia and fibula hemimelia with syndactylism of the last three digits on his left hand.)
But Braylon has never let his “diffability” get in his way. He learned to crawl at 8 months and was running on his knees before his 1st birthday. Just a few days after receiving his first prosthetics at 11 months, he pulled himself to a standing position. Three days after having both of his legs amputated, he was flying around the house, his arms acting as propellers. And just days after receiving new below-knee prostheses in July 2012, he was kicking a ball in Central Park and a week later he was outside roughhousing with his cousins.
Braylon is an extremely active little boy who is obsessed with all sports and today he had the opportunity to show professional tennis player Ryan Harrison a thing or two on the grass courts of the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
You might remember Braylon from this commercial that aired during the Superbowl.
What an amazing little guy. It’s not everyday that you can say that you met your hero but today I did.
God bless you, Braylon. It was an absolute honor to meet you!
