Ezra shows us it’s how you finish that counts
Young athlete knows he can make his dreams come true, write Craig and Marc Kielburger.
Ezra Frech dribbles an imaginary basketball like he’s reigning over an NBA court. He bobs and weaves around the crowds backstage at We Day Illinois. Immersed in his own game and oblivious to everyone, Ezra is suddenly in the air, scoring a dunk shot only he can see.
Ezra is 10. He has a prosthetic lower left leg and was born with only one finger on his left hand. The California kid embraces his uniqueness, and encourages others to do the same.
“Everyone is different, whether you look different, or think differently or act differently,” says Ezra, who shrugs off the stares and hushed whispers often directed at him. “My difference just happens to be very obvious.”
Before he was three, surgeons had to amputate Ezra’s left leg above the knee and grafted a toe onto his left hand in place of a finger to give him more dexterity. It’s been a tough road of many operations, hundreds of hours of physical therapy, continuous pain and numerous prosthetic fittings as Ezra grows.
Despite this, Ezra considers himself an athlete, not a physically challenged kid.
A finalist for the Sports Illustrated 2014 SportsKid of the Year, Ezra is also an advocate and budding motivational speaker, who has a can- do attitude. His many mantras include: “You can dream it, hope it — or make it happen.” Ezra chose to make it happen. The ardent L. A. Lakers fan dreams of playing in the NBA. He also wants to make the U. S. Paralympic team one day.
The pint- sized sports enthusiast set seven national track and field records at the U. S. National Junior Disability Championships in 2014. He’s the quarterback for his school’s football team, and has his blue belt in karate. Ezra is the point guard on a stellar basketball team, too.
His drive comes from his family. When Ezra was born, his parents didn’t focus on what some would perceive as physical shortcomings.
Knowing that attitude, not ability, would shape Ezra’s future, his mom, Bahar Soomekh, recalls giving her tiny infant a pep talk.
“All right buddy,” she told him, “you’re going to teach the world what you can do.”
That early challenge obviously made an impact. Ezra’s first word was “ball” and he never could sit still. Before age five, Ezra’s inner advocate emerged. He began speaking to kids at schools, spreading his trademark message that “being different is OK,” and anyone can be an athlete.
When their son was a year old, the Frech family started Team Ezra, an initiative that has raised close to half a million dollars for various non- profit groups that support people with different abilities. Ezra is the inspiration that rallies strangers, kin and friends alike to give.
The family’s latest foray into barrier- busting is the Angel City Games. Held in Los Angeles in late June, the multi- sport celebration welcomed 150 participants of all ages and abilities as well as hundreds of volunteers and 500 spectators. Ezra took part in several events.
Whenever Ezra competes, he thinks back to his early challenges and draws on a motto from a former coach: “Finish well.”
At basketball practice while in kindergarten, he missed his practice shots and sulked off in sheer frustration.
“Coach came after me and said: ‘ You’re going to go back out there and make a shot and finish well.’”
Years later at a track event, Ezra tripped and fell. But he didn’t stay down for long.
“I got up and said to myself, ‘ OK, finish well.’ It made me drive harder and harder until I eventually I got to the finish line.”
We can’t wait to see what new finish lines Ezra will cross — and how many people will be inspired by Ezra to do the same.