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On Sept. 6, 2008, while 13-year-old Derek Ruth was playing youth football, a tackle brought him down and he didn't get up. He had suffered a traumatic brain injury.
Derek's long, painful recovery isn't complete, although he has made great strides, said his uncle, former Nebraska football player Joel Makovicka. “I've never seen a kid work so hard.”
The ordeal also has been hard on Derek's family — and expensive. Some of his treatments have been with a specialist in New Orleans.
Makovicka, who wanted to help Derek and other young athletes with traumatic brain injuries, decided to start a foundation. A former NU cheerleader, Shari Kopf, is helping make the Husker Hope Foundation a reality.
On Monday, two years from the date of Derek's injury, Makovicka and Kopf will begin an assault on Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, the highest peak in Africa. Their climb, which will raise money through pledges, is dedicated to Derek and will, in a way, symbolize the teen's uphill climb from his injury.
“Everyone has been so supportive,” said Kopf, who was a Nebraska cheerleader from 2002 to 2006. “We already have some financial commitments.”
Makovicka added: “There are great — generous — people around here.”
The climbers expect to be back in Nebraska by Sept. 14 and will go to work on another fundraiser for the new foundation, scheduled before the NU homecoming game against South Dakota State University on Sept. 25.
Outside Memorial Stadium, former Husker players will autograph sports memorabilia and tell stories about their years at the university. There will be a silent auction of the memorabilia and a flag that will be flown on the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro.
Makovicka played for Nebraska from 1994 to 1998 and played pro football for the Arizona Cardinals until 2002. Now he operates several physical therapy clinics.
He said he wants to give back to Nebraska. “I always kind of wanted to do something for kids,” he said.
Contact the writer:
444-1067, carol.bicak@owh.com
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