Lily Matarese, 7 years old, joined the University of Maryland softball program on January 10, 2020 through Team IMPACT.
Lily lives with Cerebral Palsy – a congenital disorder of movement, muscle tone, or posture. Cerebral palsy is due to abnormal brain development, often before birth. Symptoms include exaggerated reflexes, floppy or rigid limbs, and involuntary motions. Lily uses a walker and wheelchair and is beginning to learn to walk independently through lots of physical and occupational therapy.
Throughout her journey, Lily has become active in horseback riding through hippotherapy, loves swimming, amusement parks, is a Daisy in her local Girl Scout troop and most of all loves singing and dancing to Disney songs. Lily hopes to learn to ice skate, ride a scooter and play softball with her teammates.
“Having Lily as part of our family over the past year has brought so much joy into our daily lives,” said Head Coach, Mark Montgomery. “The team truly loves their time they get to share with Lily and I look forward to being able to have her back in person at practices and games. Lily always has a smile on her face and that smile and her contagious energy definitely makes all of us better.”
Due to the ongoing pandemic, Lily and the team’s ability to spend time together has been limited but they have found ways to stay connected through Facebook, video calls and a surprise birthday parade. Even with the limited in person contact the team has made Lily feel part of the softball program and she can't wait to see them in person again!
Four members of the team – Sammie Stefan, Taylor Wilson, Jojo McRae, and Campbell Kline make up Maryland’s leadership committee for Team IMPACT and have taken charge in making sure Lily feels welcome within the program.
“Lily is the sunshine and light we needed,” said Stefan. “She is always ready to take on the day with a smile on her face and is always prepared to have fun. Her work ethic is so admirable and she never lets anything dull her light. Seeing her progress and achieve her goals throughout the past year has been really inspiring.”
Lily chose to wear the number 24 because she wanted to match her “Bestie Friendzy” senior, Sammie Stefan
