2023 Lift Them Up Kid of the Game Team Roster
Noah Ray Bojun West
Noah receives blood transfusions every three weeks at Kentucky Children’s Hospital’s DanceBlue Clinic for a lifelong condition called beta thalassemia major. He has received more than 70 blood transfusions so far. He looks forward to “blood day” because he gets to see his friends at DanceBlue and spend time with his dad.
Noah enjoys playing outside, riding his bike, building Legos and playing chess. He loves to watch football with his family and is a big fan of Will Levis. His favorite color is blue.
William Dean
William had an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) brain bleed rupture and spent almost two months at Kentucky Children’s Hospital in 2022. William had two surgeries: one to relieve the pressure on his brain and the second to repair the ruptured AVM. He had weakness on his right side, but with therapy, he regained mobility.
After his surgeries, William is thriving again! He is back at school and doing well.
William loves dogs and watching wrestling. John Cena is his favorite wrestler, and Tashawn Manning is his favorite UK Football player. He enjoys playing Roblox and spending time with his cousins and friends. His favorite color is green.
Levi McKee
Levi was diagnosed with medulloblastoma, a type of brain cancer, in July 2022. Following his diagnosis, Levi underwent a 10-hour tumor resection and then began monthly chemotherapy at Kentucky Children’s Hospital.
Levi is truly resilient! He has maintained his spunky personality throughout his treatment and has been an example for all his friends and family on how to face adversity.
Levi enjoys coloring, playing soccer and swimming. He also loves puppies. His favorite color is blue.
Rosie McIntire
Rosie was diagnosed with scoliosis at 11 months old. She had a halo traction device and received a rod implantation at Kentucky Children’s Hospital. Rosie goes to follow-ups at Kentucky Children’s Hospital and Shriners, but she is doing great!
Rosie is a sassy, caring, smart girl who enjoys playing and drawing. She also loves Cheetos and chocolate milk. Her favorite animal is a cat, and she loves cheering on the Kentucky Wildcats! Her favorite color is pink.
Lucas Bratcher
Lucas was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2022. He spent four days at Kentucky Children’s Hospital where he received treatment for ketoacidosis. His blood sugar was almost 10 times the normal average when he was admitted. Lucas continues to receive care at the UK Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center every other month.
Lucas is doing well with his diagnosis and works hard to keep his blood sugar numbers stable! He loves to play little league football, drive tractors and farm. He wants to be an agronomist — a type of scientist who specializes in soil management and crop production — when he grows up. His favorite color is blue.
Greyson Walker
Greyson was born with Larsen syndrome, a rare genetic disorder affecting bone development. It impacts one in every 100,000 babies annually. Greyson has had 18 surgeries and receives ongoing care at Kentucky Children’s Hospital.
Greyson is outgoing, caring, honest and optimistic! Through it all, he has never given up. His favorite food is pizza, and his favorite animal is a dog. He enjoys playing basketball and watching sports.
Sochi Nwoguh
Sochi was born at UK HealthCare, where she was diagnosed with meconium aspiration. She was rushed to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Kentucky Children’s Hospital where she stayed for a month. Early scans in the NICU showed that she had heart defects. She had partial anomalous pulmonary venous return (PAPVR) with inferior sinus venosus defect and partial cor triatriatum, which caused the right side of her heart to be enlarged.
Sochi had heart surgery at Kentucky Children’s Hospital to repair the defects. Since the surgery, she is doing great! She has kept a bright attitude and sweet demeanor throughout the experience.
She enjoys playing at the park with her toy dinosaurs, and she loves swans. Her favorite food is cereal, and her favorite color is pink.