Isaiah-Neumayer Grubb was diagnosed with a brain lesion at 7yrs old his parents wanted to explain it to him in a way that wouldn't worry him, and honestly they executed it perfectly! They told Isaiah that it was a "brain freckle" and that Batman, his favorite superhero had a similar condition, and that because of that condition it would make him strong and brave just like Batman! Isaiah designed the Nike Zoom Stefan Janowski which appears as a simple black silhouette, but when hit with a light the Bat signal shines bright, and strong as a symbol of Isaiah's bravery! The shoe also features the words "FIGHTER", "FREEDOM", and "BELIEVE" some of Isaiah's favorite motivational words.
Lizzie Olivan is 11 years old, and a year ago she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, but she refuses to let that stop her from becoming a professional dancer. Lizzie's tap dancing skills are off the charts, and we hear her jump roping ability is second to none as well! This makes the Nike Free 5.0 perfect for her! Choosing a bold and bright blue and purple accented upper her design is a true testament to the strong, positive, cheerful girl she is. Within the fabric appears Lizzie's motto "Stay strong DANCE ON", and other uplifting phrases as well as her name in block letters within the Nike swoosh, sparkling purple laces lead to the proudly displayed leukemia ribbon on the tongue with her signature across the ribbon, and to top it off on the back heels a glow in the dark figure can be seen busting a sweet dance move!
Say hello to Jacob Burris aka the Bionic Boy. Jacob is 14 years old, loves playing the drums, and playing with his pet hamster Jamal! On the outside Jacob is your average teenage boy who loves Spiderman, and baseball, but inside Jacob has a Dacron tube holding his aorta together to keep his heart pumping properly. Which is why his family gave him the name "Bionic Boy." Jacob put his own personal twist on the Nike Airmax 95s starting with a mash up of blue and red over a black base upper Jacob's 95s have a sort of computer circuit-board graphic in reference to his nickname, and features his initials on the tongue as well as his finger print on the bottom of the sole, and on the heel embedded within a heart. There is also a heart graphic on the sole, and the phrase "I walk to my own beat" on the sock-liner. The red and blue coloway is an ode to Jacobs favorite superhero, and his sneaker also features the signature of the creator of Spider-man Stan Lee.
When she was younger all Emory ever wanted to do was fly like Peter Pan now at 10 years old she just wants a functional kidney. She is positive that one day she will find that kidney, but until then she will continue to dream, and believe that it will happen. Emory was diagnosed with stage IV kidney failure, and is preparing for a long journey, but she's prepared, and positive that she will come out on top, and it shows in her design. Emory's Airmax 90s features the word "impossible" with an unusual apostrophe to make the phrase "I'm possible" in reference to kidney diseases once being incurable, and now having a solution she feels that anything is possible, and she has proven that by bringing us Sasquatch riding a unicorn! The sneaker also features a furry sockliner, and a few things she holds dear on the insole like tropical palm trees, names of family members, and her favorite character Peter Pan! To tie the design together Emory used 3m speckled reflective laces as a tribute to her father who also has dealt with kidney problems, and has helped her through her difficult time she says her dad loves shiny things so including that is her thank you to him.
John Charles is an amazing soccer player, proficient gymnast, wrestler, and is currently fighting Crohns disease. John's Air Jordan 13 design has his initials stamped on the lacelocks, and hologram emblem, a soccer ball pattern along the midsole,toebox, and tongue, and his a soccer ball with his jersey number on the sole. John even gives his little brother, and dog a cameo on the sock-liner, and insole. The most important part of the shoe is the sole which displays the words "Courage" "Fight", and "Strength" on the carbon fiber, and the word "Crohns" in translucent spots along the pods. John says he put the name of the disease he's facing on the sole so he could stomp on it every chance he gets!
11 year old Kian Safholm has an impeccable sense of humor, and the courage of 10 men! Two years ago Kian was faced with a difficult battle when a staph infection spread through his body, and entered his heart requiring several surgeries. He has since healed, and is back to enjoying life, and cheering for his favorite basketball team the Cleveland Cavaliers. It's only right Kian be able to throw his own personal twist on his favorite players sneaker in fact his design is a tribute to King James, who inspired him to stay courageous through his tough time! Since Lebron is said to have the heart of a lion the shoe features a blue to reddish orange colorway representing the sunrise in the savanna where lions roam, Lebrons signature is featured across the tongue, and a lions head is seen on the heel. On the insole Kian displays his own family crest he created that shows what he values most: faith, family perseverance, and basketball with his families motto "Forever Grateful" draped across the bottom. Kian says whenever him, and his family talk about his experience his father says that he is forever grateful for everything the team at Doernbecher hospital did for his son.
Check out more pictures of the DB collection at the link below:
Nike Doernbecher Collection
