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The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh cross country team recently drafted a very special teammate—7-year-old Grant Shea.

Shea, of Appleton, goes by Super G, and suffers from dysautonomia and cyclic vomiting syndrome (CVS), which both affect his nervous system.

Shea was drafted as a UW Oshkosh Titan as part of Team IMPACT, a national organization that aims to improve the quality of life for children facing life-threatening and chronic illnesses through the power of team. Shea is the youngest Titan to ever be drafted to a UW Oshkosh athletics team.

At Shea’s “draft day” event, which was held at UW Oshkosh’s Kolf Sports Center, cross country team members, the coach and the athletics director were present to celebrate Shea, who attended with his mom, dad and two siblings.

“It’s a very special moment because once you are a Titan, you are a UW Oshkosh Titan for life,” said Eamon McKenna, head cross country coach at UW Oshkosh, as he officially welcomed Shea to the team during a “formal” signing ceremony.

Shea’s life is not always easy—he spends a lot of time going to medical appointments, taking medication and enduring surgeries, his mom Jennie said. Because of Shea’s diagnoses, he suffers from severe vomiting that can last for hours or days, which frequently causes dehydration. He also  deals with sensory processing and anxiety disorders. Shea’s little sister suffers from CVS as well.

“Becoming a part of the team is a really big deal to him,” Jennie Shea said. “It’s great for him to have such great role models and something to look forward to being a part of in between all of the doctor visits.”

Like most Titans, Shea is already dedicated to his team—just a couple of weeks ago he even wore his Titans hat into surgery. At the signing, Shea was given his very own Titans track jersey—something he can wear out into the world to show off his Titan pride.

“This is exciting because it’s something I never got to do before,” Shea said at his draft event.

McKenna said the partnership with Shea through Team IMACT is not only good for Shea, but also for the cross country team as a whole.

“I think it’s awesome for him to experience the comradery and joy that comes from being a part of a team,” McKenna said. “He gets pulled away a lot from school, sports and other things and this gives him something to be connected to.”

Like any team member, Shea will be invited to events—the UW Oshkosh Titan student-athletes also will make an active effort to be a part of Shea’s life by attending events at his school and inviting him to as many UW Oshkosh opportunities as possible.

“It’s good for our teams to be involved in something like this,” McKenna said. “It gives a little perspective about what people have to deal with and it’s a good reminder to the students to count their blessings.”

Roberto Lara, a senior cross country team member majoring in math, said it’s wonderful to be connected with Shea.

“We constantly reach out to the community, but we have never had anything this intimate with one kid,” Lara said.

Hannah Kuenzi, a senior cross country team member majoring in marketing, agreed.

“It’s really awesome and it’s so great to see how much he appreciates it,” she said. “There are people who care about him here and it’s really great if we can provide an opportunity to help him feel like a normal kid. We really want to give him a good experience being a part of the team.”

UWO men and women’s teams qualify for championship

The UW Oshkosh men‘s and women‘s cross country teams qualified for the Division III Cross Country Championships, which will be held on Saturday, Nov. 21 at 11 a.m. at the Lake Breeze Golf Club in Winneconne. To show their team spirit, the Shea family will be in attendance to cheer on the Titans.

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