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BOUNTIFUL -- This week Bountiful beat Orem in the first round of the 4-A playoffs, but lost to Mountain Crest in the second round. And for one Bountiful senior it has been a great ride.
"I am an avid sports fan," says McKay Wood. "I love athletics. It's my favorite thing in the world."
McKay Wood's world is filled with sports, especially basketball. But it hasn't been easy. He came into the world three months premature.
His mother, Michelle Wood, says, "The first week of his life we were told several times he wouldn't make it, to just come to the hospital to say our goodbyes. So of course anything after that was a bonus ... just living was a bonus to me."
McKay is the team manager for football and basketball, and the team's biggest fan.
One of the players says, "Personally, I just look at the adversity that he had to face, and it helps me overcome anything."
McKay has had to overcome numerous challenges. He didn't walk until he was 5, and he's legally blind. But that doesn't stop him from shooting 3's before the games.
"I'm used to hearing the crowd, he says. "Like, I can't ... I can't do it without the crowd."
And when he recently discovered he wouldn't be able to drive? His mother says, "His comment to that was ‘Well, I'll just earn the money and buy a car for my sister to drive me around in.'"
For this bountiful senior, life is all about the attitude. A teammate said, "It's a confidence booster. Everybody needs it."
Michelle says, "His spirit, is just one of those that, ‘Hey, here I am. It's a good day.'"
E-mail: kaiken@ksl.com
