MIAMI GARDENS, FLA. (WSVN) - Three-year-old McKinley Edwards is a cancer survivor with a new hobby — soccer. Now out of the hospital, she got to experience an afternoon full of soccer thanks to the Miami FC soccer league.
Just a few weeks ago, Edwards realized she had a love for soccer, so on Tuesday, she hit the field with world class soccer players as a special guest of Miami FC.
“Anytime she can play soccer, she’s out there playing,” said her mom.
But she wasn’t always able to be a normal kid exploring and finding out what she loves to do. “It’s been recently, over the last couple months, that she’s been able to participate in those type of activities,” said her dad Michael Edwards.
Just a few years ago, she was in the midst of a major health battle.
“She was two months old when they diagnosed her with hypatiblastoma, a form of liver cancer,” said her mom. “She went through the chemo and then, at 8 months old, she needed a liver transplant.”
Edwards has now been cancer free for more than two and a half years. Now that she is healthy, she can fully enjoy carefree days like this, where she was even presented with her very own Miami FC jersey by the players themselves.
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“Meeting an angel like McKinley is rewarding for us, too,” said Miami FC soccer player Gabriel Farfan.
And the excitement doesn’t end on the field for McKinley.
She has another big day coming up — she will be a guest of the team once again when they partner up with the American Cancer Society for their Go Gold initiative to raise awareness about childhood cancer.
“It’ll be a special one,” said Farfan. “It’s an important game, so we need all the support we can get from McKinley and everyone else in the community.”
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