Click here to see Cody’s story on Dateline NBC. (includes interview with Jeff)

 

When Cody McCasland was born, doctors told his mom and dad he had an incurable disease and to prepare for him to not make it through the night.  Cody’s mom, Tina, gave birth to Cody via cesarean section at 34 weeks due to a decrease in his amniotic fluid causing his growth to come to a screeching halt.  When his father, Mike, saw his baby boy for the first time he knew something was wrong.  Cody only had four toes on his right foot and was unable to breathe on his own.  He was immediately rushed to the NICU where they determined he should be transferred to a specialized hospital for further care.  At only a couple of hours old, Tina had her infant taken from her and moved to a separate hospital.  Mike went along with Cody and his doctors explained that he would need surgery in the next couple of days.

 

Tina was determined to leave the hospital and be with her newborn son.  She was walking that night after going through an intense surgery the same morning while delivering Cody.  Three days later, Cody went in for the first of what would ultimately be 15 surgeries.  He was kept in the NICU for 23 days until he was finally able to go home.  Doctors had still not been able to diagnose specifically what was wrong with Cody.  In December 2001, two month old Cody had his first appointment at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children which specializes in orthopedics.  Luckily, the hospital is only a few miles from the McCasland’s home in Dallas and they were able to continue their visits without inconvenience from location.

 

After numerous surgeries and hospitalizations, doctors concluded that Cody had a rare birth defect called Sacral Agenesis, which caused both his right and left leg to form without his tibia and knee.  Their choices were few – either to leave Cody in a wheelchair with legs that would not function, or have the portion of his legs from the knee down amputated to give him the opportunity to walk with prostheses.  Tina and Mike knew there was something special about their little boy and opted for the bilateral amputation surgery.  Cody underwent surgery in January of 2003 and was trying to stand on his stumps later the same day of his surgery.  In March 2003, at 2 years of age, Cody was fit into his first pair of prosthetics and was walking with assistance.

 

Through all the hospital stays, tests, and surgeries, Cody remained a happy and fun-loving little boy.  His family was constantly amazed and inspired by his tremendous spirit and that he never seemed to let any of his disabilities get the best of him.  Mike and Tina desperately tried to juggle work, doctor’s visits, and finding time to sleep, all while adjusting to their new lifestyle with Cody post-amputation.  In June 2004, Cody was diagnosed with severe Osteopenia, which put him at an extremely high risk of breaking bones.  Due to the disease, every four months Cody would spend three days as an outpatient receiving infusion therapy to help re-generate his bones.  After a year and a half of therapy, Cody is now in re-mission.

 

Currently, Cody has three different sets of prosthetics.  One set he uses for everyday walking, a set of “stubbies”, which he uses for playing low to the ground with friends, and a pair of running prosthetics.  Cody is a big-time athlete, which makes his favorite set of legs the ones he uses for running and other athletic endeavors.  He swims, plays sled hockey, runs and plays the piano.
In 2004, “Team Cody” was created as a way for Cody and his family to give back to the hospital which gave him the ability to enjoy as much of a “normal” life as possible, Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children (TSRHC).  Team Cody raises funds for the hospital, along with one of its sponsors, the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF).  In October 2008, Cody participated in a portion of the San Diego Triathlon Challenge, and on December 14, 2008 he will participate in the last mile of the Dallas White Rock Marathon.  His dream is to one day compete in the Olympics or Paralympics representing team USA.  He also wants to complete a full marathon and triathlon. 

 

Cody is an active member of his community and makes many public appearances to raise awareness of the abilities of children with limb differences, and to raise funds for TSRHC and CAF.  He has also appeared on several television programs including, Inside Edition, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and Oprah.  When the staff of The Jeff Gordon Foundation caught a glimpse of Cody during one of his appearances, they knew right away this was a very inspiring young man - and it just so happens he is also a huge Jeff Gordon fan!  On Cody’s running prosthetics, he had his doctors at TSRHC apply a special design of the #24 DuPont Chevrolet along with flames and bright colors.  Cody chose this design because “Jeff Gordon is fast, and these legs help ME to go fast like Jeff on the track!” 

 

The day Jeff first saw a photo of Cody on his desk, he said, “who is this, and how can I meet him?”  With the Texas race approaching, the staff of The Jeff Gordon Foundation contacted Mike and Tina to make arrangements to get Cody to the track.  On November 1, Cody and Jeff met for the first time.  To on-lookers it was obvious that Jeff was just as big a fan of Cody, as Cody was of Jeff.  Cody showed off his legs with the design of Jeff’s racecar and had Gordon sign a pair of prosthetics that he had already grown out of.  He showed Jeff how he could hop on one foot, run frontward and backward, and even challenged him to a “thumb war” competition.  Cody was a ball of energy!  After Jeff had signed a few items for Cody to take home with him, Cody grabbed the sharpie from Jeff and told him to hold out his arm.  Jeff, confused at first, held his arm out and Cody began to sign right on his skin in black sharpie.  Jeff laughed and said, “Now this is a first!” 

 

The next day, Jeff asked Cody to join him on stage in the media center at Texas Motor Speedway for the give-a-way of his Corvette to the lucky winner of The Jeff Gordon Foundation Corvette Raffle.  Jeff, the winner, Tom Zacha, and Cody, presented a check for $100,000 to the Texas Chapter of Speedway Children’s Charities, which also works closely with the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children and had met Cody previously.  After the ceremony, Cody was asked to stay for the Driver’s meeting and also got to stand by Jeff’s car for the National Anthem before the start of the race.

 

It was a big weekend for Cody and his family.  Cody inspired each person he met those two days at the track, just as he does everyday with each new person he meets.  His smile lights up the room, and he never lets his handicap get in the way of doing the things he wants to do.  What is so amazing about Cody is that he doesn’t seem to know he has a difference.  He never uses it as an excuse; he views it as an opportunity.  An opportunity to show others like him what they can accomplish, and acts as a voice to the world of children and adults with limb differences.  Cody is truly an inspiration to adults and children, as well as athletes.  At first glance he may look different, but talk to him for five minutes and you will know, he is a spirit that cannot be broken.