It’s always important to dream big. Reaching for the stars and setting the bar high when it comes to your goals is the way you create a life worth living. And 8-year-old Andrew Marsh is someone who lives by this mantra.

Andrew is an avid football fan and he’s always dreamed of one day scoring a touchdown. However, it has always felt that his goal was always just out of reach.

You see, Andrew is a special and strong little boy. He lives with a variety of tough health conditions that make daily life a bit of a struggle. Andrew suffers from severe scoliosis, kyphosis, and muscular dystrophy. Even though he has had numerous surgeries to help correct some of his symptoms, mobility for the young boy is still very difficult – of course, making sports nearly impossible for him to play.

Even though simply moving was quite the feat for the 8-year-old, he still hoped and believed that he would one day ‘walk’ on the football field and score a touchdown. Being part of a team was something Andrew had always dreamed of.

Given his love of sports, Andrew’s feelings were understandably hurt when his 6-year-old little sister joined a sports teams and he confided in his best friend, Lucas Haag, about how he was feeling.

After hearing about how his best friend was feeling so heartbroken and left out, Lucas knew he wanted to do something for Andrew to make him feel better.

Lucas’ dad, Justin, happens to coach the Evansville Junior Football League and when his son told him about Andrew’s predicament, he picked up the phone immediately. Kimberly, Andrew’s mom, answered and was touched when she was given the sweetest offer – Justin wanted to make Andrew an honorary member of the football team.

Justin knew that his son would be thrilled and couldn’t wait to break the news to him. Andrew was now the official Colts’ equipment manager and even somewhat of a cheerleader. Justin says that Andrew has truly become an integral “rallying point” for the entire team.

“You get kids that sometimes lack motivation, and Andrew would love to be out there,” Justin said. “You plant that seed with the kid that, ‘Hey, Andrew would be out there if he could.’ And it fires kids up.”

Wanting to thank Andrew for all of his positivity and motivation, they all planned an incredible surprise during their game playing the Broncos from Howell Park.

It was the first play of the game and the team took Andrew out onto the field – completely donned in the sports uniform and gear. He would be the one to start the game that afternoon! A couple of his teammates helped Andrew walk onto the field holding a football while they helped steady his walker – they made their way to the end zone.

As Andrew got closer and closer to the end zone, soon about to score a touchdown, there were hundreds of people in the stands cheering him on. His mom who watched on proudly couldn’t help but tear up.

“It’s something we didn’t think Andrew would ever get to experience,” she said. “To have it come to reality is just very emotional and very exciting.”

When he crossed into the end zone, the crowd went wild for the little boy. What’s even better? Both teams celebrated!

Andrew’s parents are unsure if he’ll be able to participate in sports in the future but they definitely know that he has secured a spot on the team no matter what. Watch the young football fan’s special moment in the video below.

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Source: Inspire More