Soccer team forms bond with two chronically ill brothers

Maddox, 5, and Brooks, 7, are the two brothers who joined the soccer team with an official signing in the Hall of Fame building. 

Sadly, both Broomfield brothers suffer from chronic, life-threatening illnesses. 

Maddox suffers from an auto immune disease that causes the body to think food is a parasite and attacks itself, and Brooks has respiratory and reproduction issues, an immune deficiency where he is lacking most of his immune system and laryngeal cleft which causes eating and breathing problems. 

Jordan Klipsch, 20, a defender on the soccer team, spoke about the boys’ conditions and the impact on the team during the signing. 

“This experience is opening our eyes to more than just soccer, school and ourselves,†Klipsch, an Oakville, Missouri native, said. 

In a mock interview with the audience, the boys were asked why they chose to sign with Memphis. 

“Because Memphis is awesome,†Maddox said. 

Members from the girl’s soccer, track, football and volleyball teams took pictures, asked questions and got autographs from the boys. 

Brooks and Maddox are true heroes to Stephen Tankersley, a mechanical engineering senior on the cross-country team. 

“We can get so caught up in our sports and academics that we forget what’s really important in life,†Tankersley, 21, from Boerne, Texas, said. “What we go through in training is tough, but it’s nothing compared to what Brooks and Maddox face daily. Their courage inspires me.â€Â 

After the signing, the men’s soccer team took the boys out to the practice soccer field where they kicked a soccer ball around and chased each other in the cold weather. 

Amanda Broomfield, mother of Brooks and Maddox, looked on as her boys laughed with the team. 

“It gives them a chance to be normal kids,†Broomfield said. “We are in the hospital a lot, so it’s nice for them to get out and meet other people.â€Â 

The idea to put the boys on the team came from Team IMPACT, a non-profit organization that connects children who are suffering from life-threatening and chronic illnesses to a college sports team. 

It was a “no brainer†when the idea was proposed, head men’s soccer coach Richard Mulrooney said. 

According to the Team IMPACT website, the children are drafted onto the team and become an official member of the team from Draft Day to Graduation. 

The children join the athletic team and the student athletes join the child’s support team. 

“It helps them, but it helps us too,†Mulrooney said. “The team learns about giving back to the community. I can just see the smiles on the kids and the players and it’s so worth it.â€Â 

Brooks and Maddox will be a part of the men’s soccer team for the rest of the season, off-season and during the summer. 

“We will invite them to dinner, movie nights, maybe LaserTag, practice and games,†Erik Furseth, 20, goalkeeper from Munford, Tennessee, said. “We just want to hang out with them and let them know we support them.â€Â