Against all odds: Andrew Suarez
PLANO, Texas — We all know how exciting it is to be on the field playing football. The rush and thrill are unmatched, as are the excitement and cheer that fills the field when your team wins. The celebrations and love from the crowd are the best part of playing football if you ask me.
Football is a game that requires a lot of communication, coordination, planning and teamwork Now, imagine not being able to interact with your teammates and the crowd. It is next to impossible.
Andrew Suarez is redefining the narrative. He is deaf. He is Plano High School’s defensive lineman. His hearing impairment does not deter him from engaging in the sport he loves most.
“I love the intensity, the feeling inside your heart,” Suarez said. “It’s fun. It’s hard work, but it pays off.”
Suarez’s story is one for the books. It shows that with hard work and determination, you can achieve anything you want. Impossible is a mentality that people should avoid.
Suarez is assigned with an interpreter that helps him with all his communication needs. Plano High School has been very supportive in Suarez’s journey. They went the extra mile and hired the interpreter to offer him support and make things a bit easier.
“I have to focus and watch. I’m visually (dependent) all the time,” Suarez said through a sign language interpreter. “It’s kind of nice to have ‘hearing friends’ now. It’s the first time I’ve ever had that.”
Suarez was diagnosed with a hearing impairment immediately after he was born. From the onset, he embraced his condition and used it as a stepping stone to greater heights.
Despite his impairment, he wants to be treated just like everyone else.
His mother, Sheryl, says his determination is on another level. He works even harder, just as those who do not have limitations.
Suarez does not like being viewed as a challenged individual. His resilience saw him through high school, beating all the odds against him, leading him to join a high school football team as a defensive lineman on his first day.
“He was kind of like a bull in a china closet,” his coach Todd Ford said. “He was running around crazy everywhere, and he was hitting and had unbelievable effort and intensity, and he cared. It left a mark on us, and we knew ultimately he was going to be a productive player in our program, and he already is.”
Suarez is a part of the Wildcats as much as anyone else on the team. His parents are encouraged by how well his teammates interact with him. They cheer him on through high fives and give him any kind of assistance that he might need.
His father is also part of his cheerleading team. He’s a proud father who basks in his son’s achievements and is in awe of how he continues inspiring others.
The coach is ecstatic to have Suarez on board the team, and so are his teammates. They go out of their way to ensure that he feels included and comfortable.
He is a key component in his team and has been able to help them win many games. His drive goes a long way to show that impairment knows no boundaries. If you are in the same predicament, you can still pick yourself up and pick up the pieces. Fight on!
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