Northwest Shoals welcomes Azaiah to the Patriot family

MUSCLE SHOALS-The rain on Saturday (12/2) could not dampen the spirits of all who attended the signing of 11 year-old Azaiah Lopez, from Muscle Shoals, to the Northwest Shoals baseball team and Patriot family.

According to NWSCC Patriots Athletic Director Taylor Franks, when the College received this opportunity from the Alabama Community College Conference and the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation, it jumped at the opportunity.

“We are our community’s college,” said Franks. “If members of our community need us, we

want to be their first call. When we found out about Azaiah and that we could adopt him and provide he and his family with additional support, our whole athletic department was pumped.”

Lopez has been battling pediatric cancer. However, less than a month ago the family received the news that his cancer was in remission.

“When Azaiah’s mom, Tiffany was telling his story to the crowd, there was hardly a dry eye in the room,” said NWSCC President Dr. Jeff Goodwin. “It was great for all of us to hear, but it really gave our student-athletes a perspective of how fortunate they are to be able to continue to play the game they love.”

The event was made possible through the Alabama Community College Conference (ACCC) and the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation. The goal is to create a support system that extends beyond the conventional boundaries of a sports team, providing comfort and encouragement to the children and their families.

NWSCC was one of nine ACCC colleges to adopt children over the past two weeks.

The Friends of Jaclyn Foundation was created by Dennis Murphy. His daughter, Jaclyn, was diagnosed with a medulloblastoma, a malignant brain tumor, and she became connected to and later adopted by the Northwestern University lacrosse team as an honorary team member. Jaclyn’s strength, courage, relentless spirit, and joy for life inspired the players, he said. The team went on to a perfect season, winning their first NCAA national championship in 64 years.

Media Release/Trent Randolph/Director of Public Relations and Marketing NWSCC