BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian University football team "signed" 14-year-old Jacob Ramos of Allentown to the squad's roster Friday, November 5 during a Team IMPACT Draft Day.
Jacob is a freshman at Dieruff High School, and in 2017, he was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma. This is a form of cancer that primarily affects soft tissue in the body. Jacob relapsed in 2019 but has beat it again. He loves football and can't wait to interact with the Greyhounds.
Team IMPACT is a national nonprofit that connects children facing serious and chronic illnesses with local college athletic teams, forming lifelong bonds and life-changing outcomes. Team IMPACT helps children, like Jacob, to be drafted onto local college athletic teams and become an official member of the team to support the child's physical, social, and emotional needs. By being a part of the Moravian University football program, Jacob has been at and will continue to attend Greyhounds practices, games, events and more. He will also be an honorary captain for Moravian's final home football game of the 2021 season on Saturday, November 6 versus Franklin & Marshall College at Rocco Calvo Field.
Since 2011, Team IMPACT has matched over 2,000 children with more than 700 colleges and universities in 48 states, reaching over 55,000 participating student athletes. The child joins the athletic team, and the student athletes join the child's support team – from Draft Day to Graduation. During the journey, the child gains strength, camaraderie, and support while the student athletes experience lessons of courage, resiliency, and perspective they can't learn in a classroom. Jacob's determination to persevere through adversity has already made him an inspiration to his future Greyhounds teammates.
About Team IMPACT
Team IMPACT is a national nonprofit headquartered in Boston that connects children facing serious or chronic illnesses with college athletic teams, forming lifelong bonds and life-changing outcomes. Team IMPACT has more than 1,200 teams across the country waiting to be matched with children, ages 5-16, who have been diagnosed with a life-threatening or chronic illness and who could benefit from becoming a member of the team. If you know a child who may be interested, please visit www.teamimpact.org for more information.
