Jul. 7— Teenagers across the Houston area have taken the field during FIFA World Cup matches in Texas, donning flags and smiles at each game's opening ceremony. "Walking onto the field during a FIFA World Cup match is an extraordinary moment for any young person, and it is especially meaningful for teens who have navigated health challenges while continuing to...
Jul. 7—Teenagers across the
"Walking onto the field during a FIFA World Cup match is an extraordinary moment for any young person, and it is especially meaningful for teens who have navigated health challenges while continuing to pursue their goals," said
"These young people are being recognized not only as fans, but as representatives of their local children's hospitals, their communities and the millions of kids treated across our network in the
From the
"It's once-in-a-lifetime opportunities and memories that are being created, and we definitely lean into it," Hattery said. "We're meeting the moment, by providing this experience on a global stage, and we're very proud and also humble that we get to do that for all the young people that we serve."
Some area participants earned the opportunity for their leadership, achievements, others for efforts fighting chronic illness. A few even won contests. No matter how they got there, teenagers bearing flags this year know it's an experience they will have only once in their lives.
Here are four
"I talked about how I enjoyed soccer, playing soccer, and watching it, and I guess it caught the attention of one of
Macedo, 16, began a soccer team at his chapter of the
For a soccer fan, the last month or so has been a dream. As a member of the
And during a recent tour of a Coca-Cola bottling plant, Macedo and other club members got to design their very own soccer jerseys which featured their last names, numbers and the team name the group had decided on: "Houston Spark," Macedo said. "...Or something with electricity."
His jersey was white with stripes and had been delivered to his house brand-new with tags the day before the interview. Macedo had chosen the number 12 for his jersey, which didn't have specific relevance to him at the time, he said. But maybe now it will, a lifelong reminder of the time he got to bear the
Cole rushed into her daughter's room and read the text aloud. Drew immediately sat up straight and said "yes" before Cole could finish her sentence.
"I've never woken up that fast in my life," Drew said. "I was like nonstop smiling for days."
The 17-year-old is a huge soccer fan. Outside the World Cup games, where she is rooting for
Drew said the offer to bear a flag at the World Cup was the "easiest thing (she) ever said yes to," and she called the experience "surreal."
But it was important for more reasons than one. Drew has cystic fibrosis and she has been receiving care at Texas Children's hospital for almost a decade. In 2024, she was a
Drew said being able to support the hospital was the best thing about the experience. Soccer was icing on the cake.
"It felt amazing to have another opportunity to represent them in such a huge event, a worldwide event that millions of people watch, even though that was scary at first," she said. "Even though I like soccer, that was just a bonus. The most important thing to me was being able to represent the hospital and to spread more awareness."
For Drew's mom, the experience was a reminder of how far her daughter has come.
"There are times when I didn't know about the milestones we'd hit, and to see her on The Pitch ... healthy and strong and being able to live out her dreams, and also do for others at the same time was just a really, really incredible moment," Cole said.
The 15-year-old aspiring Paralympian said he was "shocked" by the cacophony of the crowd at
Then, he stepped out onto the field, and all he felt was "honor," he said.
"Just walking on that field had me kind of tearing up," he said last week, taking a brief moment away from a game when
Smith was a flag bearer at the World Cup game in
"Now I'm at the spot where I'm good," Smith said. "But I've just been at physical therapy a lot during my life with the
The student, a rising sophomore at
"My goal is to influence other people with disabilities," he said. "I want them to think they can do anything."
Peers at Alexander Alvarado Jr.'s school in Aldine ISD didn't believe him when he told them he was going to be a flag bearer at a
That is, until he showed them screenshots of the email his dad received after winning a contest from his employer.
Earlier this year, Alvarado submitted a paragraph about why he believed his son should be a flag bearer this year, saying how he sees a lot of himself in his son and that his son has become a mini-ambassador for the company during the almost decade his father has worked there.
Though the lottery was random, it seems almost too perfect, because the father-son pair couldn't be more excited about the opportunity, which is still to come.
"I've always been very passionate about soccer. I grew up watching it, playing it, (in) my culture, that's kind of a big thing for us," Alvarado said. "Working for a company that allows us to even put our names in like that, I was all over it."
The 34-year-old grew up in
"Growing up, my dad's always been into soccer, so of course being his son and all, I've always loved watching sports with him,"
While the 15-year-old is looking forward to the event, he is a little nervous. He said he doesn't want to make any mistakes, so he hopes they provide enough training day-of.
As for his father, he is already feeling like "the coolest dad in the world." Not only will this be a great icebreaker for his son in college, he said, but he expects they'll be reminiscing about this "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" on his son's wedding day.
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