- April 20, 2024
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Michael Bailey is a special needs Matanzas student who knows very little about football, other than his best friend, Daniel Dillard, plays, and he has desired to see him in action since the beginning of the season. Bailey got his wish on the Pirates’ senior night, where he attended a football game for the first time in his life.
“This whole year I’ve been trying to get him to a football game,” Dillard said “Every time I mention it to him, he like jumps out his wheel chair!”
When Dillard approached Bailey on the track, his expression could’ve lightened up the football field for the night, although he sees Dillard every day at school. At the beginning of the school year, Dillard went to the guidance office to see if he could help a special needs class, so he was sent to the room Bailey was in.
“I’ve always loved being around special needs kids,” he said. “In eighth grade, I gave up my gym period to help out with them, and always would from ninth to 11th to have a class to be around them, but it never really worked out.”
After a week of attending the class, Dillard noticed that Bailey was the only kid who could talk, so they instantly became friends.
“He says, yes, no, what’s up dawg and smiles a lot,” Dillard said. “Since I couldn’t really talk to the others, I just talked to him because he would always pay attention to me and laugh at my dumb jokes.”
“He (Dillard) came in the classroom, even when it wasn’t his time, as a teacher assistant, and he developed a bond with Michael,” said Sandra Oliva, Bailey’s teacher. “We didn’t know how we were going to make this happen, so we got Coach (Rich) Weber on board, Ms. Johnson and her family on board, and we figured with the last home game, we’re going to do this for him.”
Every day, Dillard wheels him to gym and plays music for him, and they “kind of just jam out,” according to Dillard. On Fridays, he walks him around and introduces him to people because he likes to make new friends. Other than that, we look at girls, and I ask him if he wants to go meet girls. He loves the ladies, and the ladies love him.”
“It makes me feel wonderful because it brings out everything that’s in Michael,” said Jeanette Johnson, Bailey’s foster mother. “He can’t really verbally speak, but his expression is such a joy, when he gets around Daniel. I know him when he’s not happy.”
One day Dillard returned from a three-day absence, and he asked Bailey if he missed him. After Bailey said yes, he replied, “I missed you, too, man.” But, he was not ready for what Bailey did next.
“Then, he smiled, looked up to me and said, ‘I love you, dawg,’” Dillard said. “Then I said it back, and I wanted to cry because it felt so heartwarming, because I feel like I actually matter to the kid! And, every time he sees me, he gets excited, and, I get excited to see him too! He’s a happy guy. I wish I was that happy all the time.”
Dillard says he has always been drawn to special needs kids. Not even his mother, Gina Walters, understands why special needs kids have captivated his heart.
“He can run 1,000 touchdowns, but my proudest moments are when I see his interactions with people,” she said. “He truly loves working and helping out with individuals that are differently able from us. I'm a proud mom.”
“It feels good to help people that sometimes can’t help themselves, and they appreciate you a lot more than other people do,” he said. “They love unconditionally, and there isn’t a lot, if anything, they dislike. They are happy, and I want to be happy and appreciate things like that.”
“It feels good to help people that sometimes can’t help themselves, and they appreciate you a lot more than other people do. They love unconditionally, and there isn’t a lot, if anything, they dislike. They are happy, and I want to be happy and appreciate things like that.”
Daniel Dillard
