Lift Them Up: A special moment for Kentucky Children’s Hospital patients

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – The University of Kentucky’s Cat Walk before football games will have a special guest each week this Fall.

Seven-year-old Jack Wells, UK fa, .football lover and Saturday’s special guest.

“he’s amazing. he’s our little miracle,” Jenny Wells said.

Parents Brandon and Jenny Wells said that Jack was born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome which is a severe congenital heart defect that involves the left side of the heart being underdeveloped.

“We didn’t know before he was born that anything was wrong and he got rushed to UK from our hometown in Mount Sterling. He had open-heart surgery when he was eight-days-old and then the first two years was just a rollercoaster,” Wells said.

UK Hospital started the “Lift Them Up” prgram for kids like Jack, giving them a day filled with smiles, riding like celebrities in the Cat Walk.

Not only is the passenger a unique part of the project, but the ride is also.

One of UK’s offensive lineman Luke Fortner is majoring in engineering.

Him and a team of other engineers from Toyota, designed and built a push cart.

Rabiya Syed and Alyssa Simon from UK Healthcare said seeing the spark in the kids’ eyes is priceless.

“It’s very very rewarding to get see the child’s reaction and to get to see just everybody kind of come together and work as a team to make this happen,” Simon said.

The Cat Walk starts two hours and 15 minutes before kickoff in front of Kroger Field.

A few hours that these families will remember forever.