10-Year-Old Julio Godoy Named Newest Men's Soccer Player
October 20, 2016 | Men's Soccer
IRVINE, Calif. --- The UC Irvine men's soccer team together with Team IMPACT were able to lock down an important member of their squad Thursday with the addition of 10-year-old Julio Godoy.
"We are extremely excited to welcome Julio to the Anteater family," noted Head Coach Chris Volk. "His positive attitude is uplifting and inspiring to our men's soccer student-athletes. He has been a great addition to our team."
Julio met with core members of each class over the weekend which includes third-year player Felipe Silva. "Getting to know Julio and his family has been an awesome experience. They immediately shared with us the love they have in their family. Julio is a kid who may be struggling with serious health issues, but you would never know it by his positive outlook on life, and genuine love for his friends and family.
Julio, along with his younger brother Christopher and younger sister Gloria, showed off their skills for the players at practice on Thursday before joining the entire team in the locker room following practice. In the locker room, he got to know his new teammates a little better, and then the Anteater coaching staff presented Julio with his own locker and nameplate to go above it complete with his favorite number, 19.
Following his tour of the academic center and Santora Elite Training Center, he agreed to join the 'Eaters who will hold a Signing Day ceremony on Tuesday, Oct. 25 where he will sign his Letter of Commitment and hold a press conference formally announcing him as a team member in time to join the squad for Wednesday night's home match against UC Riverside.
"I can't help but evaluate my life and use him as an inspiration to never take anything for granted. I was able to connect with Julio based on his music interests, that led to more conversation about his hobbies, likes, dislikes, etc. Overall, I can say that he obviously has not let his issues slow him down in being an amazing 10-year-old boy with a tremendous amount of heart and love," Silva added "I am honored to now have him as a friend, a teammate, and as a little brother."
"Thank you for this opportunity for letting my son be part of your team," added Julio's mother who was overjoyed seeing her son's reaction. "He could not stop talking about how he felt so special meeting some players and coaches...thank you again from the bottom of my heart."
ABOUT JULIO: Julio was diagnosed in May 2013 with Aplastic Anemia, which is a condition that occurs when the body stops producing enough blood cells causing easy bruising and excessive bleeding to a wound. Unfortunately, the diagnosis has kept Julio from participating in sports like he once used to. He is awaiting a bone marrow transplant and hopes to go through with the procedure in the next year with his sister as the donor. With all that Julio has gone through and continues to fight through, there's no doubt that he will be a huge inspiration to his teammates.
Julio is a 10-year-old from Garden Grove, Calif. He lives with his parents and siblings, Christopher (6) and Gloria (1), and they are excited about this process as well. Julio's favorite number is 19 and his favorite color is blue. His favorite food is pizza and his idol is Michael Jordan. You can find Julio watching the movie "Stand By Me" with his family dogs. His favorite activities include listening to music by Ice Cube, reading books, building Legos, drawing pictures, and riding dirt bikes.
ABOUT APLASTIC ANEMIA: Aplastic anemia is a condition that occurs when your body stops producing enough new blood cells. Aplastic anemia leaves you feeling fatigued and with a higher risk of infections and uncontrolled bleeding.
A rare and serious condition, aplastic anemia can develop at any age. Aplastic anemia may occur suddenly, or it can occur slowly and get worse over a long period of time. Treatment for aplastic anemia may include medications, blood transfusions or a stem cell transplant.
ABOUT TEAM IMPACT: Team IMPACT (Inspire, Motivate, and Play Against Challenges Together) improves the quality of life for children facing life-threatening and chronic illnesses through the power of team. They do this by matching courageous kids with local college athletic teams. Team IMPACT children are drafted onto the team and become an official member of that team from signing day through graduation. The child joins the athletic team and the student-athletes join the child's support team. The child gains great strength, comradery and support and the student-athletes are taught lessons about courage, resiliency and life perspective that they can't learn in a classroom. Through a structured relationship management methodology, Team IMPACT establishes and cultivates these relationships to ensure a successful experience for the families and teams involved.
Follow Team IMPACT
Website: goteamimpact.org
Facebook: facebook.com/goteamimpact
Twitter: @goteamimpact
Instagram: @goteamimpact
Follow UC Irvine Men's Soccer
Website: ucirvinesports.com
Facebook: facebook.com/ucimsoc
Twitter: @UCImsoc
Instagram: @UCIathletics
Official Hashtags: TogetherWeZot and RipEm
