6-Year-Old Boy with Heart Condition Runs for Touchdown After Panthers Sign Him to Make Football Dreams Come True

“It’s been incredible to see him kind of come into his own, and knowing that he’s just going to continue to do that,” the boy’s father said

NEED TO KNOW

• Asher Harvey’s biggest dreams came true when the Carolina Panthers signed him for one day, during which he scored his first touchdown in an NFL stadium
• The 6-year-old was born with a heart anomaly called tricuspid atresia, transposition of the great arteries, and a coarctation of his aorta
• “He doesn’t let his physical limitations hold him back, and he asks questions, and he wants to know things,” Asher’s mom said of the first grader

Asher Harvey was made an honorary member of the Carolina Panthers on one of the most memorable days of his life. 

On Thursday, July 31, the 6-year-old boy, who was born with a heart anomaly that will ultimately require a transplant, signed with the NFL team for just one day before being welcomed into the locker room by some of his biggest heroes — including quarterbacks Bryce Young and Kenny Pickett — attending the quarterback meeting and scoring his first touchdown in an NFL stadium. 

“So many of these kids, all they know about whatever their medical condition is, is sad and heavy and frustrating and lonely,” Asher’s mom, Ashley, told the Panthers. “Asher, he loves to run, but he just can’t run like everybody else. He would love to play football, but as he grows, his ability to keep up with his peers is just not going to be there.”

“So to be able to have this thing be a part of his memory, and we get to do it because his heart is special, it’s different than everybody else’s,” she continued. “But because of that, we get to have this experience.”

Growing up as a Panthers fan, Asher immediately knew that he wanted to use his Make-A-Wish request to attend one of the team’s games. Little did he know, he was going to have the opportunity to put on his own helmet and gloves, lead the team through the tunnel and onto the field, and score the final touchdown of Fan Fest. 

“It was an automatic touchdown,” head coach Dave Canales said of Asher’s performance in his post-practice press conference. “They couldn’t touch him, so he walked it in there, and it was a really special moment after a really nice drive by Kenny and the group.”

“Did you see the explosion? He bounced it to the left, saw another angle,” he continued. “He had three holes he could have scored in on that play, but he picked option number three and punched it in there.”

Follow your favorite athletes on and off the field with PEOPLE’s free sports newsletter — sign up now!

After the exciting moment, the team gathered on the field and cheered as linebacker Jaelan Phillips lifted Asher up above the crowd to soak in the moment before he went on to do an adorable victory dance on the field, as seen in a video shared on TikTok. 

“It’s been an incredible journey to see [Asher] develop,” the boy’s father, Evan, told the Panthers. “When we first found out [about his condition], I don’t know if it’s just being a parent or being a father, I think one of the things that I asked in the consultation with the doctor was, ‘Is he going to be able to play, is he going to be able to play sports?’ Because you just don’t really know what you’re getting into.”

Asher, who has tricuspid atresia, transposition of the great arteries, and a coarctation of his aorta, had his first open-heart surgery at just six days old before undergoing another operation at the age of 4.

“To see him from birth to growing and going through surgeries and to get to this point in life where, yeah, he’s amazing at all things, actively, in the backyard playing sports, he picks everything up very quickly,” Evan continued. “It’s been incredible to see him kind of come into his own, and knowing that he’s just going to continue to do that.”

While Asher’s wildest dreams were coming true, his parents relished seeing their son — who has been essentially living with half of his heart — thrive. 

“Asher has taught me that it doesn’t matter what happens to you,” Ashley said. “It doesn’t matter the things that other people may look at you and think are restrictions or hardships. What matters is how you move through life because that kid is unstoppable, and I don’t know what he’ll end up doing, but whatever he does, he does it with all of who he is.”

“Whatever that happens to look like, he doesn’t let his physical limitations hold him back, and he asks questions, and he wants to know things,” the proud mom added. “What that has taught me is that really, it’s the mindset that you carry that impacts the way that something affects you for the long term.”