Feature: Sparty Goes to Ann Arbor
Kyle Killworth is 8, lives in Holt, and he can hit baseballs a long way, just like his twin brother Hayden. But not since November, when he entered Sparrow Hospital after doctors found he suffers from acute mylogenous leukemia, a rare cancer for children. Kyle is such a huge Spartan fan that in late May, just before entering Mott Children’s Hospital at the University of Michigan for a bone marrow transplant, he stocked up on Spartan paraphernalia to decorate his room “in enemy country”—his view of Ann Arbor.
Some of Kyle’s family friends contacted the MSU Alumni Association to see if Sparty might make a surprise visit. That weekend, Sparty sallied forth to “enemy territory.” He was accompanied by Bev VandenBerg, MSUAA assistant director and advisor of the Student Alumni Foundation, which runs the Sparty mascot program, and Arash Mahajerin, former SAF president. Since Sparty does not talk, Arash served as spokesperson. “It was a wonderful visit,” recounts Kyle’s mother, Lisa Benisek, of Lansing. “Oh, my gosh, you should have seen his smile. It was a mile wide.”
Kyle showed off his favorite toy, a Sparty doll that plays the MSU Fight Song when a button is pressed. Kyle pressed the button a lot during visits by University of Michigan athletes, so much so that a couple of them had to take cover and put their hands to their ears. Kyle even deploys the doll against his doctor, a Michigan graduate. Kyle also loved it when Tom Izzo sent a signed basketball, along with two MSU caps—one for his twin brother Hayden. But Sparty’s unexpected visit had to be his highlight.
Sparty gave him an Izzone shirt, which he promptly put on. They high-fived and laughed. When word spread throughout the hospital floor about Sparty, several other children requested his presence, which the big green guy accomodated. When the doctor appeared, he and a son requested a photo with Sparty. “It was a magical visit,” says Lisa a few days later. “Since that visit, every day Kyle has gotten stronger and stronger. They are now saying that he will be discharged next week.”
For the record, Kyle is not (yet) in remission. His chances are slim but there is hope. “He understands that these are the cards he’s been dealt,” says Lisa. “We’d like to think he’s the one chance in ten who will make it. Kyle is the bravest person I know. He exemplifies Spartan Spirit.”
