DAVIE, Fla. – Mark Selleck, a certified prosthetist in South Florida, gave a group of resilient soccer players from Haiti the VIP treatment on Monday in Davie.
Selleck, the owner of the South Beach Orthotics & Prosthetics, welcomed a group of amputees who have been playing soccer with the help of crutches.
“This is a custom-made prosthetics shop,” Selleck said adding, “The first day we put on their prototypes, they took off. Everyone one of them took off.”
John Baby Jean, 29, who is the team’s goalkeeper, said the prosthetics that Selleck and his team provided and customized will do much more than help him and his teammates play.
“They can help them as well to work in Haiti,” Jean said.
Fred Sorrells, the team manager, said most of them were survivors of the 2010 earthquake who survived their injuries and who have been marginalized.
“They are the most resilient people because having gone through these whole years maybe of their life where they’ve been looked down on, cursed, spit on, whatever,” Sorrells said adding, “Suddenly their family who at one time considered them a curse will now consider them a blessing.”
Travis Horn, the patient care director at the South Beach Orthotics & Prosthetics, said they customized every single player’s prosthetic.
“It takes a lot to modify the socket in order to get that comfortable fit otherwise the patient will be uncomfortable,” Horn said.
Without Selleck’s help, the talented team qualified to play in The 2022 Amputee Football World Cup in October in Istanbul, Turkey. They haven’t lost hope and have continued training.
Sorrells and the supporters of the Operation Go Quickly nonprofit organization are asking the public for donations to fund their trip to Turkey, which as of Monday, they remained unable to afford.
Supporters’ GoFundMe fundraiser:
Supporters list other tax-deductible donation options as follows:
1. Operation Go Quickly is accepting donations online.
2. Zelle - fredsorrells1@yahoo.com
3. Check:
Operation Go Quickly
4736 Bryant Irvin Rd #702
Ft. Worth TX 76132
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