Trojan Wish: Noah Barbarena

Sports can save lives. In some cases, they can offer an avenue to a brighter future. But in Noah Barberena's situation, a slide into home plate during his little league baseball game literally kept him alive.

Initially, his father Luis and mother Heather thought Noah had bruised his tailbone. A month later Noah was screaming in pain and was rushed to the hospital. The Barberenas were shocked to find out that after hours of tests and scans, their nine-year-old son had Ewing Sarcoma, a rare form of cancer.

Without that painful slide into home plate, Noah may have never seen the condition coming.

His love for sports is paralleled only by his parents' love for USC. Naturally, Noah grew up dreaming of being next in the Trojans' long line of transcendent quarterbacks.

Unfortunately, the Barberena family found out about the rare form of cancer on Aug. 1 and they were forced to act quickly. Noah's bout with chemotherapy was so physically taxing that he was unable to attend USC's upset over the then-No. 10 ranked Utah Utes on Friday, Sept. 20.

This obstacle was easily overcome when the Trojan Outreach team decided to surprise Noah at his home to watch the game with him. Though he would have loved to experience the game from the Coliseum, it's safe to say this was a great compromise for him.

"I'm not one to show much emotion, but when I saw my boy and how you all made him feel – I couldn't help but cry," said a teary-eyed Luis Barberena. "They were tears of joy because I'd do anything to bring a smile to his face and you all did that for him."

The Trojan Outreach team surprised Noah and his family with USC shirts, hats and even a plush Traveler stuffed animal. Luis said Noah slept off USC's big win wearing his "Fight On!" shirt with his arms wrapped around Traveler.

"That's what the Trojan family is about," said Luis. "You all made his day, and because of that, you made our day. We are forever grateful to the Trojan family for this. That is a memory that Noah will have forever."

It is unusual to find a young man like Noah with so much optimism after being faced with so much adversity. Trojan Outreach strives to do everything possible to have a positive impact on kids like him. Little did Noah know, he was inspiring the entire Trojan family with his will to live and thrive regardless of his conditions.

As his father said, "What Trojan Outreach did today inspired him to continue his education and to one day attend USC."

Noah gives a new meaning to the term, "Fight On." He fearlessly faces his challenges head-on while wearing his USC gear and a smile to help him along the way.

University Southern California Trojans

Trojan Wish: Noah Barbarena

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