By: Alivia Zeimer
7th Grade Student at Dickinson Middle School
Hello, my name is Alivia Zeimer. I’m a 7th grader at Dickinson Middle School, and earlier this month I got to have the experience of a lifetime with the Minnesota Vikings. This is my story of how all that happened.
You see, when I was three years old, I was involved in a lawn mower accident which caused me to have to amputate my foot. This became very challenging as I got older because I love to play volleyball, basketball, and track. I played all three of those sports for DMS last year as a 6th grader, but it was very difficult because my prosthetic back then was a walking prosthetic. That meant it didn’t bend or bounce like a real foot as I tried to run, jump, or dive.
That’s where The Little Buddy Foundation comes in. The Little Buddy Foundation works to provide prosthetic limbs to children. Their founder, Greg Pruitt, lives in Dickinson and coaches basketball in Killdeer. When he was told there was a local 6th grader playing three sports on a walking prosthetic, he wanted to help. Soon The Little Buddy Foundation was planning for me to receive a Cheetah Foot. A Cheetah Foot is a prosthetic limb made for athletics to help my running and jumping be less painful and more natural.
When The Little Buddy Foundation came to our athletic awards ceremony at DMS last year. I knew it was to give me my Cheetah Foot, but I didn’t know there was another surprise. Greg Pruitt had reached out to Kevin O’Connell, the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, because he found out I’m a huge Vikings fan. As I was sitting at the ceremony, suddenly a video of Coach O’Connell came on the screen. He was talking to me and inviting me and my family to come to a Vikings game!
When we went to the Vikings vs. Colts game this year, we didn’t only get to go to the game. We got to go to the pregame practice too! I got to meet Coach O’Connell and lead the team breakdown at the end of practice. I also met Sam Darnold who is the Minnesota Viking’s quarterback. Coach O’Connell would tell me the plays, and I would pass them on to Sam Darnold at the practice. I got to be down on the field while the players warmed up before the game at U.S. Bank Stadium. I got signatures from Kevin O’Connell, Aaron Jones, Harrison Philips, and Dalton Risner.
It’s Thanksgiving time, and I’m thankful to The Little Buddy Foundation and to Coach O’Connell and the Vikings. Having a Cheetah Foot is like having a second chance at playing sports and not having it be so difficult to run and jump without having the natural bend of a foot. In the future, I want to inspire people and help people understand that if you have an injury, it can’t stop you from doing the things you love.