Hulk for the Hawks

It is probably safe to say Micah Norby of Greenfield was in his element all day Saturday.

Micah donned his green Hulk gloves and trotted out onto the field inside Kinnick Stadium to be recognized by 70,000 appreciative fans at the Iowa Hawkeyes’ game against Penn State. He was this week’s kid captain for the team.

Micah was not only able to go on the field, he and his family attended a media day in August where they were able to go into the locker room and meet the Hawkeyes players and coaches. Needless to say, he got to go places few get to go and met people few get to meet.

On Saturday as a kid captain, Micah, his brother Maverick and parents Mike and Michelle were afforded what might have seemed like royal treatment because Micah was the kid captain. People walked up to him wanting selfies with him and people offered to pay for their food at the concession stands.

Before the game, family and friends hosted a tailgate party for those coming from near and far to support Micah. Support was wide for the family from Cornerstone Fellowship Church, where Mike currently pastors, and Faith Evangelical Church in Radcliffe, where he was formerly youth pastor.

All of Micah’s cousins were able to come, as well as grandparents Butch and Heidi Filber of Greenfield.

In addition to their own tailgate, the Norbys were recognized at a tailgate with University of Iowa President Barbara J. Wilson.

Under strict orders to report to the stadium by 4 p.m. the Norbys made sure to be on time so that Micah could get the full experience of being a kid captain.

A lover of the Incredible Hulk, Micah and his green gloves were inseparable. He was able to hang out with the mascot Herkey and “Hulk smashed” him. He met head football coach Kirk Ferentz, new men’s basketball coach Ben McCollum, women’s basketball coach Jan Jensen and many others.

An additional highlight is that former Hawkeye safety Micah Hyde was in town receiving the distinction of being this year’s America Needs Farmers Wall of Honor recipient. Hyde began his pro career playing for Micah’s favorite NFL team, the Green Bay Packers. Hyde’s son’s name is also Micah and his daughter’s name happens to be Maverick, but they call her Mavvy.

During pregame festivities, Micah walked out onto the field all by himself to be introduced as the kid captain. He also chose “Good Day” by Christian artist Forrest Frank to be played during The Wave, a tradition where the whole stadium waves at the Stead Family Children’s Hospital, which overlooks the stadium.

Micah Norby was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy at age 5. A progressive, inherited muscle disorder that primarily affects boys, DMD is caused by a mutation that leads to the absence of a certain protein that is essential for protecting muscle cells from damage.

Micah has received extensive care from UI Healthcare since his diagnosis. One piece of his care was receiving a rare gene therapy treatment just before he turned 6 in the spring of last year. It was only approved for up to 5 years old. Micah was approved by insurance to receive the expensive therapy and was the first boy outside of research to receive it.

Micah’s teacher last year at Nodaway Valley Elementary School, Courtney Woodcock, encouraged the Norbys to apply for him to be a kid captain. Michelle applied online the day the application was released.

Another person the Norbys were able to meet was Dr. Denise J. Jamieson, a top leader at UI Healthcare.

From the beginning of the experience to the end, one theme stuck out to the Norbys: the way they love on kids and care for their families in the toughest of circumstances. There are only a dozen centers of excellence for treating muscular dystrophy in the United States and UI Healthcare is one of them.

“The university does such an oustanding job of valuing kids and making them feel special, no matter the circumstance, because you have a wide variety of kid captains. You have kids who are like Micah, who move around and walk out there, then you have kids who are nonverbal, in wheelchairs and are nonambulatory,” Mike said. “Nobody bats an eye because we all understand we’re at different levels.”

Micah will have another fun experience when the organization Make a Wish will make it possible for the Norbys to go to Disney World in a few weeks.

“Micah is a lot better off than he would have been [without all this great care]. He’s stable and is thriving in many ways,” Mike said. “He’s loves school and it was awesome [some of the teachers] could come.”