Trojan Wish: Sebastian Main

USC football has the power to encourage a kid to believe he has the ability to play the sport, after previously thinking he wasn't capable. On Sept. 7, Sebastian Main was that kid. Upon his arrival at Heritage Hall, he mentioned that he was more into lacrosse than football. All it took was watching the Trojans warm up from a few feet away while he was on the field, and his entire perspective changed.

Sebastian was born with his right arm not fully developed. He now uses a state of the art bionic arm that allows him to grab and pick things up.

Soon after arriving, he was timid and quiet. He began to grow livelier and more sure of himself with every step he took on the walk to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. His first live football experience was watching the Trojans in their first Pac-12 matchup against Stanford. Once he reached the Coliseum, Sebastian was visibly full of energy.

He had an uplifting confidence and ability to feel comfortable in his own skin, when most middle school kids would feel insecure with the condition he has. His mother, Laura Erlich, was sure to reinforce a sense of pride in her son early on.

"As a parent of a child who has a difference, the most important thing I can do is to encourage him to walk around with his head up high – totally confident about who he is," she said. "You can't let him be stuck in this idea that his difference makes him less than anyone else."

His self-assured mentality that Erlich discussed was on full display once he hit the field. A fellow Trojan working in athletics noticed Sebastian's excitement about football and mentioned that there is currently representation in the NFL of someone with a similar condition.

Shaquem Griffin, a linebacker with the Seattle Seahawks, was born with amniotic band syndrome and had his left hand amputated when he was just 4 years old. Griffin's perseverance urged Sebastian to believe that he too could have an impact in the football community – as long as he trusted his own abilities.

Sebastian's father, Sean Main, spoke on just how perseverant his son truly is.

"I couldn't be more proud of him. He works very hard to overcome his difference," he said. "We preach to him that if you fall down, you just get back up – every day."

Everyone involved with Sebastian throughout the night had a collective sense of pride in just how far he had come. There was even more optimism for how far everyone believes he will go in life.

The Trojans were led by freshman quarterback Kedon Slovis, who put on a show. Slovis led the Trojans on a 42-3 run to beat Stanford 45-20 – a performance that Sebastian won't soon forget. When asked to sum his experience up, he simply said, "There aren't enough words to describe how great this experience made me feel about myself."

Reactions like Sebastian's are the reason Trojan Outreach loves to reach out to the community and give back as much as possible.

Trojan Wish: Sebastian Main

Players Mentioned

Kedon Slovis

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