Michael Hebert loves football.

C’mon, what 11-year-old boy doesn’t love football?  Especially in New England!

He loves to play it.  He loves to watch it, especially if the Patriots are on.  And when they aren’t, you can bet he’s probably playing a little Madden 13 on his Wii.

Michael loves cheeseburgers.  And corn dogs.  And fish sticks.  Mountain Dew?—you know it. 

Seriously, what 11-year-old boy doesn’t love Mountain Dew?

When he’s not hanging out with his friends, Michael’s checking out Sports Center on the Worldwide Leader.  And if he’s not watching Stuart Scott or Linda Cohn, he’s watching Patrick Jane solve cases on “The Mentalist”.

It’s pretty cool to be an 11-year-old sports fan in New England.  In the span of Michael’s young life, his favorite teams have combined to win seven championships.

Names like Brady, Ortiz, Pierce and Chara are forever covered in glory in the minds of those that call this region home.  Trophies have been raised, banners have been hoisted, and cups have been filled.  They will forever be known as champions.

Perhaps in sport, that’s true.  But there is no greater champion in the game of life than Michael Hebert.

Michael resides in Marshfield with his mom MaryAnn, his dad Donnie and his sister Deanna.  When he was four, Michael was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis, the most common life threatening and chronic lung disease found in children.  Since his diagnosis seven years ago, Michael has been hospitalized four times, spending multiple weeks as an inpatient where he had surgeries to place a picc (peripherally inserted central catheter) line into his arm to his heart in order to receive strong medications.  The level of discomfort for these procedures is so strong that he has to be put to sleep.

There is nothing routine about Michael’s daily regimen.  Each day, he undergoes two chest therapies to clear his lungs and also takes medication in both the morning and evening.  He must take pills when he wakes up and before he goes to bed.

No 11-year-old would love to experience what Michael endures every day.  But like the battles that are waged on the gridiron, Michael valiantly fights on in his battle with CF.  And today, he has more teammates in his corner to help him in that fight.

Michael Hebert became the newest member of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy football family this afternoon in a special draft day ceremony held at Clean Harbors Stadium.  His new Buccaneer teammates joined with him and his family at midfield where he signed his letter of intent, which was witnessed by Director of Athletics Bob Corradi and Head Coach Jeremy Cameron.  Michael will proudly wear his favorite number 6 on his new team jersey.

Michael’s “signing” was part of Massachusetts Maritime’s continued partnership with Team IMPACT, a non-profit organization based in Quincy that partners with colleges and universities across the region to improve the quality of life for children facing adverse issues and events by establishing and expanding vibrant, team-based support networks.  Massachusetts Maritime is one of over 30 institutions in New England that are part of the Team IMPACT family, standing with such schools as Boston College, Brown, Harvard and Northeastern, as the Buccaneers have welcomed Forestdale resident Teddy McGowan to the men’s lacrosse program and Falmouth’s Tyler Morel Smith to the baseball squad over the last 18 months.

Michael will be just like every other Buc.  He has his own locker in the Clean Harbors Athletic Center.  He will be on the sidelines whenever he can, especially when the Cranberry Bowl comes around in mid-November.  And he gets to hang around with his new big brothers.

Talk about being the Big Man on Campus.

“Having Michael and his family be a part of our program is such a tremendous honor,” Coach Cameron says of his newest Buccaneer.  “He is an inspiration and someone who we as adults can all look up to.  His courage and determination defines what it means to be successful.”

Once his letter was signed, Michael did what any other 11-year-old boy would do on a football field.

He ran like crazy into the end zone.  Behind a wall of blockers who have his back both on and off the field, Number 6 got his first six for the Buccaneers.

And like he does every day, and like his teammates will do for him every day, Michael Hebert is going the extra yard.

For more information on Team IMPACT, please visit www.goteamimpact.org.