Age: 12
Hometown: Irrigon, OR
Diagnosis: Long Gap Tracheoesophageal Fistula
Shoe: Air Force 1 Mid
Royce Short is a country kid who loves fishing, riding his dirt bike and taking his bucking bull to futurities—a competitive event where young bulls are judged for their natural athletic abilities. “I don’t actually ride the bull,” Royce was quick to explain. “It’s just a chance for young bulls to show off their bucking skills, while the judges score them. My job is to get my bull, Black Knight, ready to compete.”
To meet this resilient kid, you’d never guess that he spent the first six months of his life in Doernbecher’s NICU fighting for survival. Born five weeks early, Royce’s esophagus was attached to his trachea and not properly attached to his airway, making it difficult for him to eat and breathe. He underwent his first complex surgery when he was just one day old and has endured more than 90 procedures since then to expand the tissues in his esophagus that allow him to swallow food.
Determined not to let his condition hold him back, Royce has already won a Junior Rookie belt buckle and dreams of becoming a bucking bull stock contractor when he grows up. “That’s someone who raises bulls, takes care of them, and brings them to rodeos for the cowboys to ride,” he explained.
Royce’s western-inspired sneaker feels right at home with a leather ankle strap featuring a silver prong belt buckle, rope laces and a custom logo for his future bucking bull business. Because he’s an avid fisherman, a trophy bass appears on the outsole, while the arrowhead on the back is a replica of an obsidian rock found near his home. And be sure to take a closer look at the cowhide print on the sock liner inside the shoe: “It’s actually a map of the world marked with places that I’d love to visit someday,” Royce revealed.
Should you find yourself experiencing moments of self-doubt, Royce added a message on the other insole that he hopes you’ll live by: YOU GOT THIS. “That’s what I would tell myself when the going got rough,” he explained. “No matter what you might be going through, I want you to know that you’re doing amazing, and you’re going to be okay.”
