Throughout his childhood, Brady Antaya often spent hours in the hospital for immunodeficiency treatments.
During especially hard days, his mom would call his friends from the soccer team to see if any were available to spend time with him.
The Merrimack College men’s soccer team always answered the call.
“I went in for treatments monthly, sometimes weekly, and treatment could last 10 hours,” Antaya said. “I missed a lot of school and couldn’t be with my school friends. The soccer team would show up at the hospital while I was in treatment or come to appointments. They were there for anything I needed.”
Antaya was part of Team IMPACT, an organization that matches children with serious illnesses and disabilities with college sports teams to foster long-lasting relationships. He was five years old when he was paired with the Merrimack team.
The match continued for 13 years, and those friendships were a cornerstone of Antaya’s childhood. He attended every soccer practice and game he could, and the team cheered Antaya on at his games as well.
“It changed my life,” Antaya said. “I had a hard time socially because I was always in and out of the hospital. They made sure I felt seen and had people I could rely on, that I always had friends I could call.”
At 19, he can still rely on those friends.
This past winter, Antaya was taken to the hospital by ambulance during a snowstorm. When he was released, he had no way to get home; it was too dangerous for most people to drive.
Antaya called a former soccer player he met on his first day with Team IMPACT. That player is now a firefighter and was able to get him home safely.
“I made so many friends through this program, and I’m still in touch with a lot of them,” Antaya said. “These are lifelong friendships, and it’s something I’m so grateful for.”
Antaya is a sophomore at Curry College, where he is a member of the men’s tennis team. As a Team Impact Fellow, he’ll soon be the one providing opportunities to form those friendships.
“I’ve been involved with Team IMPACT for so long, when I saw the fellowship was open, I thought I should go for it,” Antaya said. “I got so many benefits from being on the children’s side of it. I carry those experiences with me and want to repay the favor.”
Fellows are selected through a competitive process to represent Team IMPACT on their campuses where they help raise awareness of the program. During the fellowship, Team IMPACT provides opportunities for fellows to build their skills in leadership, community engagement, public speaking, and professional development.
Antaya’s tennis team was recently matched with a 14-year-old, and Antaya is excited to form the kind of relationship that made a difference in his own childhood.
“He’ll come to some of our practices and matches, and we’re going to do our best to get him here for homecoming weekend,” Antaya said. “He plays sports, and I’m getting his schedules so we can go to his games. We just want to support him and integrate him into our community.”
Antaya is also working to match more athletic teams at Curry College with pediatric patients and to solidify the partnership between the college and organization to continue beyond his time as a student athlete.
“Every kid that goes through this program deserves the same kind of experiences and friendships I had,” Antaya said. “They did everything right; it was top tier. And I’m incredibly grateful for it.”
