Young Oklahoma Athlete, Meningitis Victim Could Steal Show At Endeavor Games

NewsOn6.com

EDMOND, Oklahoma -- Beginning Friday, more than 450 athletes from all across the country and around the world will begin competing in the University of Central Oklahoma's Endeavor Games.

The event showcases the talents of athletes with physical disabilities, and one young athlete is receiving a lot of attention.

Five-year-old Harvey Parry is a bundle of energy. He loves running. His family has traveled all the way from England in hopes he'll soon be able to run even faster.

Harvey was just 15 months old when he contracted meningitis. Doctors were forced to amputate both legs above the knee. His parents were determined he would have a normal life, so they began raising money to bring Harvey to the United States for prosthetics. They eventually discovered Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics.

"We had no choice," said Harvey's mother Carol Parry. "We had to go somewhere in the world to get legs. If we didn't, he would be in a wheelchair. He would be bum shuffling right now."

Kevin Carroll and his son, Michael, are experts in the field of prosthetics. Soon, Harvey will be able to run as if he had real knees.

"We're replacing this bottom portion which is going to allow him to bend his knee and have a more normal, natural gait while he's running," Michael Carroll said.

Harvey will be running against other children his age in the Endeavor games, but his doctor's say with his prosthetic legs he could outrun older athletes in their 20s.

"Without them, my son wouldn't be running," said Parry. "He wouldn't be running the way he is right now. And I'm getting emotional because I never thought that Harvey would walk, let alone run. So I'm just grateful to Hanger for what they've done.