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WEST CHESTER, Pa. - West Chester University men's soccer coach,
Michael Benn, along with Team IMPACT, announced the signing of 8-year-old
Colby Palomeque (East Fallowfield, Pa.) to the Golden Rams' squad at a press conference inside Sturzebecker Health Science Center Monday evening.
Team IMPACT is a national non-profit headquartered in Boston, Mass., that connects children facing serious or chronic illnesses with college athletic teams, forming life-long bonds and life-changing outcomes. Since 2011, Team IMPACT has matched more than 1,700 children with more than 500 colleges and universities in 49 states, reaching over 50,000 participating student-athletes. The child joins the athletic team and the student-athletes join the child's support team. Throughout the journey, the child gains strength, camaraderie and support while the student-athletes experience lessons of courage, resiliency and perspective they can't learn in a classroom.
Coach Benn introduced Colby to the University community and athletic administrators gathered, along with the entire men's soccer squad. Benn regaled those in attendance with stories about Colby's exploits during spring drills while working out with the team.
Colby is courageously battling ROHHAD Syndrome. ROHHAD is an acronym for rapid-onset obesity (RO) with hypothalamic dysregulation (H), hypoventilation (H), and autonomic dysregulation (AD). It is a rare, life-threatening syndrome that affects the autonomic nervous system (which controls involuntary actions like breathing and your heartbeat) and the endocrine system. As the name suggests, the key features include dramatic weight gain over a six- to 12-month period in the first 10 years of life, followed by hypothalamic dysfunction, dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system, and alveolar hypoventilation.
There is currently no cure for ROHHAD. Treatment varies based on the signs and symptoms present in each person. Because ROHHAD can affect many parts of the body, children with ROHHAD are often cared for by a team of healthcare providers who specialize in a variety of medical fields. Children who are diagnosed early and appropriately managed can have a good quality of life.
