Team effort gives East Meadow teen with rare skin disorder a shot on the court

His dream has always been to play basketball, so on Friday a Clarke High School senior with a rare skin disorder was given the chance to hit the court as a member of the starting lineup.

News 12 Staff

Dec 14, 2019, 3:20 AM

Updated 1,601 days ago

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His dream has always been to play basketball, so on Friday a Clarke High School senior with a rare skin disorder was given the chance to hit the court as a member of the starting lineup.

Robbie Twible attended the Clarke basketball game as an announcer, but ended up getting the surprise of a lifetime. He announced the starting players and then all of a sudden his name and jersey number was called out and the fans went crazy.

It was a magical moment for Twible, who was born with a rare skin disorder known as Epidermolysis Bullosa. The condition left him with no skin on most of his legs.

"About 80 percent of his body is covered in bandages so to do anything in sports would not be a possibility for him," says Kathy Twible, Robbie's mom.

Athletic Director Josh Friedman helped orchestrate the surprise for Twible so that he could get a shot at playing his favorite sport.

"It's nice to do something for someone who asks for nothing," says Friedman. "He just goes about his day, does what he needs to do and doesn't expect special treatment."

Almost every person who attended the game was in on the secret, including the coach of the opposing team.

"To give him the chance was a no-brainer," says Paul Collins, coach of the East Rockaway High School basketball team. "What does this show the rest of the community? For my team I want to show them that it's bigger than a game sometimes."

Twible was given his own jersey -- No. 34. When he took to the hardwood he wowed the crowd with a layup.

"It was amazing," says Twible. "When the ball went through the hoop it was, wow. It was awesome."

Twible's father says watching his son score a basket meant so much.


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