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Georgia football makes championship dream come true for young fan who battled leukemia

Ryne Dennis
Athens Banner-Herald
Eight-year-old Kyler Pike stands in front of a Georgia logo inside a UGA athletic facility on campus.

Georgia tight ends Ryland Goede and Drew Sheehan will have a friend in the crowd Monday night to support them and the Bulldogs.

Kyler Pike, an 8-year-old from Kathleen, about 30 minutes south of Macon, and his mother were invited to the national championship game by Team IMPACT, a multiyear program that signs children facing serious illnesses and disabilities onto college athletic teams across the country. 

He traveled to Los Angeles on Friday with his mother, Ashley, and grandfather, Marcus Folsom.

"For us, it’s just really making memories," Ashley said from their hotel room in Los Angeles. "A lot of the things that we’ve gone through with Kyler have been very difficult. One of the things we learned going through his journey was really making memories. To be able to travel out here and do something that he loves to do is a memory that we’ll cherish for the rest of his life."

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Kyler was diagnosed with leukemia at 3 1/2 years old and, by Ashley's calculations, had more than 200 chemotherapy treatments over three years. He had a port on his body, was given oral chemotherapy and endured more than 20 spinal tap procedures. Friday marked two years since his last infusion.

Since that time, he's continued doctor visits to flush out the port, have blood drawn and a continues monitoring of his condition. When he and Ashley return from the championship game, he will have a bone scan to determine if pain is the result of steroid treatments.

He's considered in remission, but the challenges remain.

"As far as treatment goes, he is done with treatment," Ashley said. "It was really intensive and a long journey that you never think is going to end. By the end of it, you’re just burnt out."

This year, Team IMPACT united the Pikes with the Bulldogs. He receives check-ins from Goede and Sheehan. They text about the Bulldogs and how Kyler's health is.

"This has been the biggest deal, because it’s made him feel a self of purpose again," Ashley said. "It’s very motivational to him. Anytime I ever tell him that (they) text, his face lights up. It’s really cute, because he really looks up to them."

"It's super and special," Kyler said. "It’s out the roof."

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Kyler Pike poses with Bulldog tight ends, Drew Sheehan, left, and Ryland Goede, right, during a UGA Dawg Walk this season.

On a scale of 1 to 10, Kyler said his UGA football fandom is "a million." Through Team IMPACT, Kyler was able to tour Georgia's weight training room and some of the new facilities. He and his family also attended games against Vanderbilt, Georgia Tech and last weekend's Peach Bowl.

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He plays basketball and baseball, but his recent friendship with a pair of Bulldogs has him falling in love with the gridiron. It was Goede who broke the news to Kyler that he was going to the national championship game during a video chat last week.

"He didn’t want to play football until all of this," Ashley said. "But now that he sees Drew and Ryland as big brothers, he says he wants to do that now. He says, ‘Momma, I want to go play for the Bulldogs.” 

They'll be in Sofi Stadium Monday night at 7:30 when Georgia faces TCU for the College Football Playoff Championship, yelling and screaming like they did last week when the Bulldogs beat Ohio State in a thrilling 42-41 semifinal.

"I feel like Kyler’s going to be their good luck charm," Ashley said. "But, after watching last weekend’s game and almost having 85 heart attacks, I think it’s going to be a good game."

 Kyler is more than confident in the Bulldogs.

"To me it means I get to see my Bulldog friends," he said, "and cheer them on while they squish the frogs."

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