A little league player has captured the hearts of thousands with his story of adversity, positive attitude and faith in god. Josiah Porter, a 12-year-old baseball player, propelled his Nolensville, Tenn. Little League Team to a 7-1 victory by hitting a grand slam on Thursday. His team will now advance to the U.S. Championship game against Hawaii in the Little League World Series.
Porter was blinded in his right eye due to an accident when he was seven but has persevered ever since to be an outstanding athlete. With the help of his loving family, he has overcome his blindness to be a sports standout.
He continues to impress on the field as an outfielder and pitcher with a hitting record of .300 through four tournament games.
In an interview with ESPN, Brandon Porter, Josiah’s father, explained the family has a deep belief in the christian faith and his faith was crucial for his son to overcome being blind in one eye.
“We’re a family of faith,” the father said “… God had a big thing to do with all of this. [We’ve been] keeping our focus on Jesus. … Like Peter walking on the water in the Bible. And being positive. That’s been something for Josiah that … [is] so critical [to] his story. We can’t talk about this story without talking about his faith. Josiah stayed positive. Instead of focusing on the storm, the bad things – what he can’t do – he focuses on what he can do. So it’s just been a great story.”
A sharp object on a toolshed was involved in the accident that blinded his son.
“Josiah walked right into it, and it cut his eyeball. He ended up having to have three stitches in his eyeball and he’s had five surgeries since then. Two of those were retinal reattachment surgeries. It’s just been a tough journey for him. … He was always a great little athlete. It was just a tough journey for him. But finally, when he started getting back to getting to play and jump and run – he just didn’t let it bother him. He just overcame.”
Read more about Josiah’s story here