Baseball Partners with Team IMPACT to Sign 12-Year-Old Graham Teyema
10/5/2021 9:28:00 AM | Baseball
Family of Purdue alumni from Frankfort, Indiana, visited Alexander on Sept. 30
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue baseball partnered with Team IMPACT to bring 12-year-old Graham Teyema into the program, a process that was made official with Graham's visit to campus for a National Letter of Intent signing and tour of Alexander Field.
Graham is the son of Purdue alumni Scott and Brandi Teyema of Frankfort, Indiana. Graham was born with Singleton-Merten syndrome, a rare gene mutation.
Team IMPACT provides a safe, supportive and encouraging environment for a child and their family to connect with a college athletic team with the goal of filling the void left when traditional support systems are lacking for children living with a chronic or life-threatening illness. Greg Goff first partnered with Team IMPACT while he was the head coach at the University of Alabama. After becoming the head coach at Purdue in the summer of 2019 and bringing Chris Marx aboard as the Boilermakers' pitching coach, they made it a point of reconnecting with Team IMPACT. The COVID-19 pandemic slowed the process down but eventually Team IMPACT paired Purdue baseball with the Teyema Family.
While symptoms can vary immensely among people with Singleton-Merten syndrome, Graham's primary symptoms include dental dysplasia, osteoporosis in the hands and feet, muscle weakness, and growth delay. Joint inflammation and acute sensitivity to hot and cold temperatures are also concerns.
Thankfully Graham has no signs of the heart calcifications that can also be a symptom of Singleton-Merten. A yearly cardiology visit is among his regular doctor's appointments. The Riley Hospital for Children and Peyton Manning Children's Hospital in Indianapolis have been invaluable resources for the Teyema Family. Graham receives physical therapy and occupational therapy at Riley and his lead pediatrician is part of a team of doctors at PMCH.
"We see many different specialists," Brandi Teyema says. "Dr. Stacey Tarvin, a Rheumatology specialist at Riley, and her colleagues have been his biggest advocates. They manage most symptoms with medications ranging from daily steroids to biologic meds for treatment of inflammation in his organs. Many of these medications suppress his immune system so we are also careful when it comes to infectious diseases. We were very happy when he turned 12 and was able to receive the COVID vaccination!"
The Boilermakers have been able to host the Teyema Family multiple times this fall. For the special signing ceremony and facility tour on Sept. 30, Graham and his parents were joined by his grandparents, uncle, brother, sister-in-law and nephew. A large portion of Purdue's roster attended the signing ceremony in the Mackey Arena media room and Graham had an opportunity to interact with players at Alexander Field as well as see his locker in the Alexander Clubhouse.
"The thing that impressed me, Graham, when I met you was your attitude. Talking with your mom and dad, just the things that come your way – no big deal," Goff said that day in Mackey. "That's what stood out for me and our players; they said that guy is the epitome of a Boilermaker baseball player. Tough, relentless, passionate and the big word that we use all the time, resilient – absolutely resilient in what you do. Because of that, we want to offer you a scholarship. We're so thankful you chose the Boilermakers."
While numerous members of his extended family are Purdue alumni, Graham's sister Natalie left the Midwest to study at Ole Miss and pursue a master's degree at Boston College. It was Natalie's connection to Ole Miss that led to a Rebels hat also being on the table at the signing ceremony as Graham announced he had chosen to become a Boilermaker. Graham said at the event he's also a fan of the Colts, Pacers, Cubs and Indianapolis 500 as well as all the Purdue teams.
"We had a super great time hanging out with the team. Graham is still on cloud nine," Brandi said after the family returned home to Frankfort. "We take one day at a time and have even utilized research being done in Germany to navigate this rare disease. He has very few sad moments and this brings great joy to both his dad and me. Graham certainly teaches us many lessons about rare disease. We've come to terms with how the obsession by society to be 'normal' or fit into a certain box just doesn't exist in our world. And that is ok."
Brandi has found strength and comradery in Emily Perl Kingsley's essay "Welcome to Holland." Written by a mother to a child with special needs, it tells the story of a long-planned trip taking a family to Holland instead of Italy. "It resonated with me so well when I first read it. It's a good explanation about what parents go through when they have a rare kid, diagnosed or not. I have it downloaded to my phone and read it from time to time to remind myself Holland is an amazing place, too."
Founded in 2011, Team IMPACT has matched more than 2,100 children with 700-plus universities in 49 states, impacting more than 60,000 student-athletes.
Team IMPACT has more than 1,200 teams across the country waiting to be matched with children, ages 5-16, who have been diagnosed with a life-threatening or chronic illness and who could benefit from becoming a member of the team. If you know a child who may be interested, please visit TeamImpact.org for more information.
Graham is the son of Purdue alumni Scott and Brandi Teyema of Frankfort, Indiana. Graham was born with Singleton-Merten syndrome, a rare gene mutation.
Team IMPACT provides a safe, supportive and encouraging environment for a child and their family to connect with a college athletic team with the goal of filling the void left when traditional support systems are lacking for children living with a chronic or life-threatening illness. Greg Goff first partnered with Team IMPACT while he was the head coach at the University of Alabama. After becoming the head coach at Purdue in the summer of 2019 and bringing Chris Marx aboard as the Boilermakers' pitching coach, they made it a point of reconnecting with Team IMPACT. The COVID-19 pandemic slowed the process down but eventually Team IMPACT paired Purdue baseball with the Teyema Family.
While symptoms can vary immensely among people with Singleton-Merten syndrome, Graham's primary symptoms include dental dysplasia, osteoporosis in the hands and feet, muscle weakness, and growth delay. Joint inflammation and acute sensitivity to hot and cold temperatures are also concerns.
Thankfully Graham has no signs of the heart calcifications that can also be a symptom of Singleton-Merten. A yearly cardiology visit is among his regular doctor's appointments. The Riley Hospital for Children and Peyton Manning Children's Hospital in Indianapolis have been invaluable resources for the Teyema Family. Graham receives physical therapy and occupational therapy at Riley and his lead pediatrician is part of a team of doctors at PMCH.
"We see many different specialists," Brandi Teyema says. "Dr. Stacey Tarvin, a Rheumatology specialist at Riley, and her colleagues have been his biggest advocates. They manage most symptoms with medications ranging from daily steroids to biologic meds for treatment of inflammation in his organs. Many of these medications suppress his immune system so we are also careful when it comes to infectious diseases. We were very happy when he turned 12 and was able to receive the COVID vaccination!"
The Boilermakers have been able to host the Teyema Family multiple times this fall. For the special signing ceremony and facility tour on Sept. 30, Graham and his parents were joined by his grandparents, uncle, brother, sister-in-law and nephew. A large portion of Purdue's roster attended the signing ceremony in the Mackey Arena media room and Graham had an opportunity to interact with players at Alexander Field as well as see his locker in the Alexander Clubhouse.
"The thing that impressed me, Graham, when I met you was your attitude. Talking with your mom and dad, just the things that come your way – no big deal," Goff said that day in Mackey. "That's what stood out for me and our players; they said that guy is the epitome of a Boilermaker baseball player. Tough, relentless, passionate and the big word that we use all the time, resilient – absolutely resilient in what you do. Because of that, we want to offer you a scholarship. We're so thankful you chose the Boilermakers."
While numerous members of his extended family are Purdue alumni, Graham's sister Natalie left the Midwest to study at Ole Miss and pursue a master's degree at Boston College. It was Natalie's connection to Ole Miss that led to a Rebels hat also being on the table at the signing ceremony as Graham announced he had chosen to become a Boilermaker. Graham said at the event he's also a fan of the Colts, Pacers, Cubs and Indianapolis 500 as well as all the Purdue teams.
"We had a super great time hanging out with the team. Graham is still on cloud nine," Brandi said after the family returned home to Frankfort. "We take one day at a time and have even utilized research being done in Germany to navigate this rare disease. He has very few sad moments and this brings great joy to both his dad and me. Graham certainly teaches us many lessons about rare disease. We've come to terms with how the obsession by society to be 'normal' or fit into a certain box just doesn't exist in our world. And that is ok."
Brandi has found strength and comradery in Emily Perl Kingsley's essay "Welcome to Holland." Written by a mother to a child with special needs, it tells the story of a long-planned trip taking a family to Holland instead of Italy. "It resonated with me so well when I first read it. It's a good explanation about what parents go through when they have a rare kid, diagnosed or not. I have it downloaded to my phone and read it from time to time to remind myself Holland is an amazing place, too."
Founded in 2011, Team IMPACT has matched more than 2,100 children with 700-plus universities in 49 states, impacting more than 60,000 student-athletes.
Team IMPACT has more than 1,200 teams across the country waiting to be matched with children, ages 5-16, who have been diagnosed with a life-threatening or chronic illness and who could benefit from becoming a member of the team. If you know a child who may be interested, please visit TeamImpact.org for more information.
