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VIDEO: Harbaugh, Michigan football team hold scrimmage for teen with rare cancer

Former star defensive end for Muskegon High School, Dametrius "Meechie" Walker scores his first career touchdown at Michigan Stadium on Aug. 13., 2022 during a scrimmage with the Wolverines. (University of Michigan Athletics)

ANN ARBOR – Michigan football head coach Jim Harbaugh and the entire program welcomed Dametrius Walker onto the field at Michigan Stadium on Saturday for a touching moment.

Walker, a former star high school football player for Muskegon, had 10 offers from Division I schools in his sophomore year.

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In the fall of 2020, he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a rare bone cancer and had his dreams of playing college football dashed when he needed a full knee replacement to remove a tumor.

After undergoing nine months of chemotherapy treatments, Walker’s cancer returned. He is currently in the care of the Jo Elyn Nyman Anchors Program for Children, the pediatric program of Hospice of Michigan and Arbor Hospice, whose staff reached out to Michigan football to organize the unforgettable experience for the teen athlete.

The Wolverines helped Walker score his first touchdown in the Big House during a scrimmage on Saturday. His goal was to play for the Maize and Blue.

Walker called the moment a “dream come true” and said the program treated him like family.

Sophomore quarterback for the Wolverines Davis Warren retweeted the video and said, “This is my why.”

In April, Walker started a GoFundMe to raise money to travel and pay for further medical treatment.


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