BALTIMORE — Saturday was a magical day at Homewood Field on the campus of Johns Hopkins University.
Team IMPACT, a nonprofit that matches children facing serious illness and disability with college sports teams, partnered with Johns Hopkins, honoring some of the kids that have matched with their athletics programs.
At halftime of the men's lacrosse game against UNC, Kyle Skakle was honored. Since 2021, he matched with the men's lacrosse team and signed a letter of intent, remaining closely connected with the team.
"The environment, the guys—I just love watching lacrosse," says Skakle.
"When we have a down day, when he has a tough therapy or a tough day at school, there's nothing that I can replace with what Hopkins does here. So when we come here, it's the shining light," says Mark Skakle, Kyle's dad.
This opportunity is a life-changing experience for the kids.
"It's been really cool to see how they grow and gain confidence for moments like this. It's intimidating for anyone to walk out on that field, and it's really awesome to see how excited they get and how excited their families are to be a part of something. It just gets to feel like a normal kid for a little bit," says Helena Swaak, a member of Team IMPACT.
"Kyle's not had the easiest life, and for a parent to not have any answers, to have a group of Team IMPACT and Hopkins, just to have the support that they provide for us. It's been amazing," says Mark.
While Kyle loves being a Johns Hopkins Blue Jay, being a part of the team impact family is like no other.
"We pick each other up. It's like a relationship that it's hard to explain, but it's the best relationship that anybody could have with anybody that's not related to your family," says Kyle.
