Denver’s Manual High School homecoming game turned into a special night for the lucky girl who was crowned homecoming queen. Except, this girl isn’t your typical homecoming royalty. She isn’t even old enough to attend kindergarten.

When a three-year-old girl changed the lives of Denver’s Manual High School football team, they decided to repay the favor. Avelynn was born with multiple medical complications. At just 3 years old, she has undergone several open heart surgeries and doctors didn’t expect her to live past 6 weeks.

The team met the brave toddler when they were asked to lay down grass  in her family’s backyard as a community service project. Just as Avelynn instantly fell in love with her new lush lawn, the football team fell in love with her. “When we saw that little girl walk out onto her new lawn it touched my heart so much” Running Back Losseny Kone told Fox31 Denver. She inspired the lives of Denver’s Manual High School football team, so they decided to make her their honorary captain. However, the Thunderbolts wanted to take it a step further, they crowned her queen.”They  were all so enraptured by Avelynn that they wanted to do something. They wanted to share something. Of course the thing they had the most to share was football. They wanted to invite her to a game, [so] I suggested homecoming and the rest of the ideas and honors just sort of snowballed from there.” stated Benjamin Butler, coach of the Thunderbolts.

Avelynn walked on the field, gleaming from ear to ear, in a blue frilly dress.”To see this little girl be crowned the queen, something she probably won’t experience ever, meant a lot to us,” Kone told KDVR.  Her fighting spirit and loving manner has had such an impact on the athletes and students. The Coach has said, “She has put so much into perspective for the team and the school members that have been involved. She has added a new focus and appreciation for life and for all of the things about the high school experience that we might take for granted.” 

This heartwarming story has been retold numerous times by  major publications, like People and Yahoo. When asked about the impact of the media attention, Coach Butler said, “It is good for kids and teachers to see the great capacity for caring that comes when given the opportunity. We have all been mostly happy about the attention for Avelynn and her family though. She is the real star and of course the queen.”