A new face in the crowd for this weekend's game

By Rosanna Brown The Collegiate Times

November 16, 2007

Blacksburg, VA (CSTV U-WIRE) -- Virginia Tech can look forward to at least one new face in Lane Stadium at the Miami game this Saturday.

Brandon Prince is a 12-year-old currently living in St. Mary's Home for Disabled Children in Norfolk, not to mention an avid Virginia Tech fan. He has been looking forward to attending Saturday's game for weeks and is finally able watch the game he often sees played out on television from inside the Hokie Nation.

Susanne Prince, Brandon's mother, first took him to St. Mary's when he was three. She said that before they took Brandon there, the family had a difficult time providing him with the necessary amenities to take care of a child with cerebral palsy. Things such as braces for Brandon's knees and a wheel chair were hard to come by.

"We didn't really know where to go to ask for stuff; we had to fight for everything. We didn't know exactly what was out there, and when he went to St Mary's, that all changed," Prince said.

Brandon has now been at St. Mary's for nine years. It is planned that he will reside there until he his 21, said Prince. When they first placed Brandon in St. Mary's, she almost felt like a bad parent, Prince said, but as time went by she was able to see how much more Brandon was able to get out of life while obtaining the special care he needed.

As Brandon grew up, he always had an incredible interest in the Hokies and got great enjoyment out of watching them on TV."As long as I can remember, for years now, he's been a big Hokie fan," said Prince. "It's the first team he liked and he's stuck with it since."

Brandon enjoys living through the football players' passes and touchdowns.

"This is huge for him," said Prince. "Since he can't really do it himself, all the excitement is giving him adrenaline; he likes it."

Brandon may not be able to physically play the sport, but his mind is always in the game.

"His mind is pretty good; he knows everybody, but he can't do anything with his body," Prince said. Brandon will be staying at the Inn at Virginia Tech and will be given a special campus tour on Sunday, said Kathy Brobst, a physical therapist at St. Mary's.

"It's a special thing that we are doing because we know how much Brandon would enjoy this opportunity," said Robin Geluso, Brandon's child advocate at St. Mary's. Brobst said the planning for Brandon's visit was a "very spur of the moment thing."

Negotiations began Nov. 2, and Brobst worked with Tom Gabbard, associate director of athletics at Tech, to obtain tickets for the game.

"He was immediately very willing to offer tickets," Brobst said of Gabbard.After receiving the tickets, Brobst sought out accommodations at The Inn at Virginia Tech from Michele Vann, lodging manager, who also helped coordinate their weekend.

"The people at Tech were absolutely just completely wonderful at doing everything they could do to help us out," Brobst said.

In Blacksburg, Brandon will be accompanied by Brobst, Jennifer Reasor, physical therapist, and Shaun Stauffer, from the recreational therapy department at St. Mary's. All the staff members have close ties to the Tech community. Brobst herself is currently a Tech mom and aunt. Reasor is originally from the Roanoke area and Stauffer graduated from Tech in 2006.

"There's a lot of Hokie spirit at St. Mary's," Brobst said. Brandon's spirit has been made very clear to the staff at St. Mary's since the plans for his special weekend were in the works.

"He's communicating his excitement in a very clear manner," said Brobst. "He doesn't talk, but he does have his own way of communicating that we understand."

"He's just an awesome kid," Prince said.