Dennilson: Strength and Love of Sports

What is strength? According to the dictionary it is described as the ability to hold, endure or resist something.

Since his birth, Dennilson has known how to overcome the circumstances that life has put along his way, which have resulted in success and learning. Since he was just a baby, Denny's parents realized that something about their son was different, so they quickly decided to take him for a checkup. The doctor’s diagnosis: the absence of a femur and knee. From that moment on, his parents knew that they should seek specialized care for Denny's condition.

When he was 2 months old, Denny's parents learned about the specialized care that Shriners Children's Mexico provides, and they did not hesitate to make a first-time appointment. Upon arrival, they were referred to our orthotics and prosthetics department, where treatment was quickly begun so that he could receive a knee replacement as soon as possible.

Denny gradually developed the confidence needed to start playing one of the sports he likes the most, soccer. His love for this sport may have been inherited from his father, who is a soccer coach at the school he attends, but this sport opened a world of possibilities for Dennilson.

When Denny was 6 years old, his parents decided that it was a good time to introduce him to soccer. With the confidence of an athlete, Denny joined not only as a soccer player, but as an official goalkeeper. He had the opportunity to attend various intercollegiate tournaments, including a tournament in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, where he won the trophy for the best goalkeeper in the league. In addition, he participated in the Mexico-Guadalajara zone interstates, and to this day continues to play soccer at his school.

At Shriners Children’s Mexico, we are not only committed to improving the quality of life of our patients, but we are happy to make dreams come true to the fullest extent possible. Last year, thanks to a special collaboration with Club América, Shriners Children’s Mexico managed to fulfill one of Dennilson's greatest dreams, which was to visit the Azteca Stadium and see his favorite team, Club América.

That day, Denny was received by the club's delegation, who gave him a warm welcome, in addition to giving him the official No. 1 shirt. He was able to be on the field and watch his team warm up before the game. But the best thing happened at the end, when his favorite player, Memo Ochoa, gave him a pair of autographed gloves, and El América won that day. “I will never forget that moment,” Denny said.

Today Denny is 15 years old. He continues playing soccer and is preparing for his last year of high school in his native Sahuayo, Michoacán. Enthusiastically, he said that he is ready to represent Mexico in the Shriners Children’s Open as a Standard Bearer. "Thanks to Shriners Children's Mexico, I have managed to make many of my dreams come true. Today I am ready to represent the hospital that has provided me with treatment," he said.

Fun Facts About Dennilson

He knows the vast majority of the biographies of professional team footballers because, he said, he finds their life stories very interesting. Denny loves to have chilaquiles for breakfast and eat flan for dessert.