Tre's Dream

As a child, Charlotte, NC resident Tré Kirton began dropping words. He could hear just fine, but he could not understand and process everything that was being said. The diagnosis was auditory processing disorder (ADP), a condition that leaves him struggling to learn, retain and communicate information. Now at age 12, Tré receives speech therapy and has changed schools to get the additional support he needs. Tré also lives with epilepsy and is struggling with new and reoccurring seizures. The seizures are taking place at night so unfortunately, his brain never really gets the opportunity to rest. This has meant that visits to the hospital for treatment have been much more frequent.

Still, this sweet, smart, and talkative boy embraces life like his sports heroes, Derek Jeter and Jacoby Ellsbury, who he says believe in themselves and never give up. Upon meeting Tré for the first time, he welcomed us warmly into his home. In fact, everything about Tré put us at ease and we sensed his kindness through his happy eyes, big smile, and his words. He reads lips to improve his understanding and seemed to keep up with the conversation very well. Just when we thought we couldn’t be more impressed by this sweet kid, we asked him if he would show us some of his guitar skills. Tré is a little shy so unfortunately, we weren’t able to capture a video – but take our word for it…. this kid can sing and play the guitar with a grace that makes it seem effortless. His song of choice? James Authur’s “Say You Won’t Let Go.” Absolutely beautiful!

In addition to singing and playing guitar, Tré also enjoys video games, posting YouTube videos, and playing with Legos. But baseball — watching the New York Yankees — is his happy place. Tre’s Dad was in the military for many years and during that time the family moved around to several states, including New York. This is possibly where Tré adopted his loyalty to the Yankees and he has remained a true fan.  His ultimate sports dream is to spend time at the stadium with the Yankees coaches and players and we look forward to making it happen!