A Friend For Life
Long-standing relationship benefits both football star and wheelchair-bound former classmate
By Doug Harris
Dayton Daily News
CENTERVILLE | A.J. Hawk's trips to see wheelchair-bound Mark MacDonald are designed to lift the spirits of his one-time Centerville High School classmate. But Hawk has found that something else happens during those semi-regular visits: His day becomes brighter, too.
Hawk was a starter on the varsity football team as a ninth-grader when he was introduced to the outgoing, sports-loving quadriplegic who was considered the squad's No. 1 fan.
Some teens may distance themselves from the physically disabled out of fear. But to A.J. and his older brother, Ryan, who played quarterback for the Elks, MacDonald was just one of the guys.
"It wasn't a problem at all," A.J. said. "If you talk to Mark, his mind is fine. He knows all kinds of stats and knows about football. He knows what's going on. We never really thought of him as being handicapped."
MacDonald has some movement in one finger of his left hand, which allows him to transport his atrophied body in a motorized wheelchair. And he was given free reign in the locker room before, during and after games.
In A.J.'s four years with the Elks, MacDonald missed only a couple of games, and the two forged a friendship that flourishes today.
Laboriously pecking away on his laptop, MacDonald, now 21, communicates constantly with Hawk via e-mail. And the Ohio State junior linebacker has dropped in on MacDonald at the home of his foster parents, Norman and Audrey Hassertt of Centerville, three times over the last eight months.
Despite enduring a mountain of misfortune, MacDonald has an upbeat personality. And it invariably rubs off on Hawk.
"When you see how happy Mark is all the time, you realize we don't have any reason to be mad," Hawk said. "People get mad about all the practices we have (at Ohio State). This helps me to not take things for granted."
MacDonald's father is deceased, and his mother abandoned him as an infant. His only sibling, a sister, was killed at age 6 after being hit by a car while stepping off a school bus.
MacDonald never had a stable home until landing with the Hassertts nine years ago. Norman, 63, a part-time pastor at a Jefferson Township church, and wife Audrey have raised 10 children, including seven disabled foster kids.
"It's just a natural for us," Norman said. "We're concerned about those society has left behind."
MacDonald, the last of the 10, has been a quadriplegic since birth. He was two months premature, but neither he nor the Hassertts know what caused the paralysis.
"His mom was on drugs, and so was his dad," Norman said. "That certainly could have affected him."
But MacDonald doesn't spend much time dwelling on the past.
"The analogy I use," Norman said, "is that life handed him lemons, and he made lemonade."
MacDonald requires constant care, from feeding to bathing to restroom stops. But the Hassertts discovered an indomitable spirit in MacDonald, and they were determined to feed it.
He has been on two cruises to the Carribbean, and he has taken several trips to Kings Island, riding the Beast, the Vortex and everything else that provides a rush and a place to sit.
And last summer, he went on a wilderness camping adventure to the Pacific Northwest with Norman and a few others. MacDonald rode a kayak, slept in tents and tumbled off cliffs into the water, depending on his life jacket to keep him afloat and his fellow campers to drag him to shore.
Of raising disabled kids, Norman said, "We don't use the word 'can't' in this house."
During his last visit, Hawk was treated to a slide show of MacDonald experiencing the great outdoors, including one shot of him being strapped to a surfboard and pulled by a boat.
"Did you ever fall off?" Hawk asked.
"A hundred times," MacDonald said with a smile.
Because tickets are so scarce, MacDonald has attended only one Buckeyes game, but his timing was perfect. He was in the stands when Hawk intercepted a pass against Kent State as a freshman and returned it for a touchdown.
"That made me very happy," MacDonald said.
The Hassertts know the demands of school and football keep Hawk busy, and they're grateful he makes time for their son.
"Even though he's a star — and even in high school, he was a great player — he's always kept that same down-to-earth attitude that I really appreciate in people," Norman said.
Centerville football coach Ron Ullery said the relationship validates all the complimentary things he's been saying about Hawk for years.
"That speaks volumes about how good of a person A.J. is. ... He realizes Mark MacDonald is every bit as important as he is," Ullery said.
MacDonald has taken one course at Sinclair Community College since graduating from Centerville. The class required him to write a reflective essay.
The subject he chose was Hawk.
"He never treated me different because of my wheelchair," MacDonald wrote. "He never considered that a physical disability meant there was a mental disability.
"We don't talk that often now, but we may be even closer since he went off to college. He seems to remember who was there for him every Friday night, supporting him and cheering for him.
"Wherever he goes or whatever he does, I feel A.J. will still be my faithful friend."
