Eleven-year-old Theo Labelle loves soccer. He loves to play it, loves to watch it, and loves to collect soccer cards. Now he’s about to live a dream-come-true — not just watching a FIFA World Cup match, but taking part in it, too. “It is my dream to go at the World Cup,” he said. On July 2 he will travel from Bouctouche, N.B., to be an official match ball carrier at a game in Toronto, bringing the game ball to the referee and signalling the beginning of the match. But for Theo, playing soccer is about more than the game; it’s about showing his strength. He was born with multiple congenital malformations, including complex congenital heart disease. He’s had three open heart surgeries and lives with a one-ventricle heart. His conditions mean he tires easily and it’s a struggle to keep up with the other children. But that doesn’t stop him. “He just loves the game and he shows up. Even if it’s hard for him to get the ball, he just shows up and keeps going and that’s just what’s so amazing for him,” his mother Isabelle Allain-Labelle said. Toronto holds special significance to his family as it’s where he had all his life-saving operations. “It’s just to see where he came from as a baby fighting for his life, and now, growing, thriving and now going to get to experience a once in a lifetime opportunity is just really incredible,” Allain-Labelle said. Though they don’t yet know who will be playing in the match, Theo plans to speak to his favourite soccer player, Croatian Luka Modrić. For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
