A six-year-old boy born with only half a heart has defied the odds to play his first game of competitive football. Bobby Davies from Swansea always dreamed of playing the sport like his friends but was rejected from a number of teams due to his rare condition.
He was born with tricuspid atresia, which caused the right side of his heart not to develop with the birth defect requiring multiple operations, ITV News reports.
The condition made it difficult for Bobby to breathe while climbing the stairs and going for walk and he has undergone two open heart surgeries with his latest coming just a year ago. Doctors warned that he wouldn't be able to competitively play football like he dreamed of doing, and many youth teams were not prepared to take him on, but now he has finally seen his wishes come true.
Read more: 'My daughter needed emergency heart surgery at six days old'
The football-mad youngster has just been accepted to play with Rosehill Community FC in Swansea and recently played his first ever game of competitive football. Coaches at the club let Bobby join after hearing about his struggles, with his grateful mum Natasha thanking them for making her son's dreams a reality.
“We always accepted that football wasn’t probably going to be part of it for Bobby," she told ITV News. “For a six-year-old boy who just wanted to be the same as all his friends in school it was tough.
"He’s asked every week: ‘Is it this week I can go?’ and: ‘Have you spoken to a new club? Is there anyone who would want me?’. To hear a little boy crying saying: 'Nobody wants me on their team', as a parent, that was very challenging.”
Craig and Stacey Bowles are the coaches at the club in Townhill, Swansea, and provide footballing opportunities for children like Bobby with complex needs. Natasha said her son would not be playing football if it wasn't for the couple, who welcomed him to the club with open arms.
"Without Craig and Stacey, Bobby’s dream would never have come true," she said. “I had one conversation with Stacey and within 10 minutes she said: ‘That’s it, he’s part of the Rosehill family’. There was no question – they wanted Bobby from the minute they heard about his story.”
Bobby took part in his first training session at the beginning of October and played in his first competitive game a week later. To protect his sternum during games he wears a special padded vest, which was kindly made by the parent of a fellow player.
Coach Craig said: “Getting to know Bobby’s story was inspirational to us as a club and as people. As soon as you heard what he’s been through in his life it was a no-brainer really that we wanted to help him fulfill his dream.”
Now that he has played his first game Bobby has his sights set high as he wants to emulate the success of Manchester United and Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo who is one of his favourite players alongside Swansea City captain Matt Grimes. "One day I'm going to play football for a team when I'm older," he said. "And I'm going to name myself Ronaldo."
READ NEXT:
