Champ Daniel Parkington is a little boy who would bring a smile to one's face if they saw him in person.
With his shock of wild, red hair, chubby, freckled cheeks, big sky-blue eyes, and his zest for life, it is easy to fall in love with this seven-year-old.
Life, however, hasn't been kind to him. He was born with cerebral palsy that requires him to use a wheelchair (crutches for shorter distances) and wear braces on his withered legs. He has trouble moving like most kids: his brain was damaged while being born; it left him with the legacy of cerebral palsy. It affects how he moves, how he communicates, how he gets around.
Despite the daily obstacles he faces, little Champ is still a very happy-go-lucky little boy. Nothing stops him from doing what he wants to, and it is this dogged determination that have earned him the nickname of "Courage".
"Courage" is exactly the perfect word to describe him.
Champ is the youngest of five children in the Parkington family. He has two brothers and two sisters: Tine (Christine, 15), Robert (12), Edwin (10), and 8-year-old Felicia. He has two dogs, beagles, named "Snoopy" and "Charlie Brown" that are his best friends. He loves his pets and takes very good care of them.
Champ loves to do many things seven-year-old boys do: play baseball (he's in a league for children with special needs; it's his second season with them), watch "Spongebob Squarepants" or "Aaah! Real Monsters!" on TV, draw, read (he loves books about monsters or gross things like bugs, barf, or people doing disgusting things), go to the amusement park or zoo, and more.
Champ is a very active young man. His arms are strong (from pushing the wheels of his wheelchair or using his crutches). He is otherwise in excellent health: for him, a trip to the doctor or being sick is a very rare thing in life.
People stare at him or point at him when they see him with his family; however, Champ does not mind (much). He will just stare back at them or make comments like, "Oh, you must be lookin' at my red hair! Isn't it cool??", anything to catch people off guard. He's a smart aleck at times, but not to the point of being annoying.
Champ would like to be a comedian or an actor when he gets older. He loves Bill Cosby, the old masters like Bob Hope or Red Skelton (he says, "They're funny, and they aren't dirty about it"). He would also love to be a preacher: he goes to church every Sunday with his family, and loves the worship music and the preaching.
He gave his heart to the Lord when he was five years old.
Champ has proven to others that just because one is disabled, that doesn't mean their mind is as well. People with disabilities can do whatever they want to in life, and nobody should ever try to squash their dreams, their desires, because they are people too.
