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William Michael Stephens. He's why I Extra Life.

This post was written by fifth-year Extra Lifer Michael Stephens playing for Boston Children’s Hospital. You can learn more about Extra Life at extra-life.org.

I’ve been a gamer all my life, and I didn’t get into much charity work until I started working at my job. They partner with several groups, including Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. That’s when my team and I started.

The idea of playing games and being able to heal kids resonated with me so easily. We did it for Boston Children’s Hospital. We were all parents except for me at the time, so this just came naturally. Then it was my turn to be a dad. But when my wife was 18 weeks pregnant, we found out our baby was diagnosed with Tetralogy of Fallot.

He was born on March 20th, transferred to Boston Children’s Hospital on March 26th, and underwent open heart surgery on March 28th. It took him a month to recover, but he’s not cured of his condition. He’s merely repaired, and it’s a disease he’ll carry with him for the rest of his life. Our only hope is that my son will not be inhibited by his condition but will persevere through it and do great things with his life in spite of it all.

He’s 7 months old now and the happiest little boy ever. The doctors and nurses at Boston Children’s Hospital saved his life and gave him a shot at a normal childhood. William Michael Stephens. He’s why I Extra Life.