At 10 years old, Lilly Biagini has already experienced so much loss in her life. Not only did she lose her legs at the age of six, but she also lost her prosthetic legs in October in the California wildfires. So, knowing her spirit needed to be uplifted, the Harlem Globetrotters stepped in.
Lilly was born with arthrogryposis, a congenital condition in which her joints are stuck in one position from the waist down. Rather than keeping her legs and being stuck in a wheelchair, she elected to have them amputated so she could wear prosthetic legs and do things like run track and go horseback riding.
This fall, the North Bay fires in Santa Rosa uprooted Lilly and her mom before the flames engulfed their home, and subsequently, Lilly’s prosthetic legs, which were left inside. It took some time, but Lilly eventually got a new pair made.
“Her legs are definitely a part of her identity,” her mother told KTVU.
After hearing about Lilly’s story, Zeus McClurkin from the Harlem Globetrotters decided to make an appearance at her school, St. John the Baptist. The school also had other students who were severely affected by the wildfires.
“I just wanted to do something a little extra special because that’s what the Globetrotters are known for,” he said. “We’re known for putting smiles on people’s faces, and that’s what we wanted to do with those kids.”
McClurkin performed trick shots for the students and pulled the ones who lost their homes in the wildfires to center court, where they learned a few tricks of their own.
Because Lilly celebrated a birthday earlier in the month, McClurkin brought her a custom-designed Globetrotters jersey which had “Ace” inscripted on the back above the number “1.” Then he invited Lilly and her family to a Gobetrotters game in January.
Now that is worth some confetti.
Here’s the video from the special day:
