This Week’s Kid Captain is One of the Coolest Kids We Know

Over the course of the eight years I've worked at the radio station, I've met some amazing kids through our annual Radiothon and the Cedar Rapids Make-A-Wish Gala. Some of the kids we meet just once or twice, but there are a few that we see EVERY year! One of the kids we always look forward to seeing is our friend Adam Arp.

Adam is from Williamsburg, Iowa and has been receiving care at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics for his entire life. He was born with spina bifida, hydrocephalus, and only one kidney, and he had his first surgery at only nine-hours-old! His second surgery came at 14-days-old, and he was finally able to go home after 28 days. When he was 3-months-old, Adam returned to the hospital to be treated for clubfoot. His mom Trina said that Adam learned to crawl with a cast that extended from his chest to his ankles!

Adam's journey doesn't end there. According to the UIHC website, "Adam's feet and legs were put in castings weekly, and after the castings, he wore bracing day and night. Adam also had urology surgery and surgeries for hip subluxation, a painful condition in which the hip joint is partially dislocated." Over the course of his life, he has had about "430 clinic visits, 14 trips to the emergency department, 144 medical procedures, and 14 surgeries," the most recent of which was in February of this year.

We've watched Adam grow up in front of us. It's hard to believe that he's now 16 and a sophomore in high school! He never ceases to impress us and make us laugh. He is more than deserving of his role as Kid Captain for this weekend's Hawkeye game against Michigan. We can't wait to see what song he chooses for The Wave!

You can check out Adam's journey below: