Marion 7-year-old named Kid Captain for Iowa at Minnesota game

IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) - A seven-year-old Marion girl has been named this week’s Kid Captain for when the Iowa Hawkeyes travel to Minnesota to take on the Golden Gophers.

The University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital said Veronica Sullivan was diagnosed with myelitis, an inflammation of the spinal cord, which causes weakness and paralysis.

Since her initial diagnosis, she was also diagnosed with two other rare conditions, one that is characterized by skeletal abnormalities, and another that is a genetic disorder affecting connective tissues.

UI Health Care staff said Veronica had to relearn how to sit, stand and walk, and has undergone multiple procedures.

She is now in second grade and enjoys dancing and swimming. She aspires to be a doctor when she grows up.

For more on her story, click here.

For the past 13 college football seasons, the hospital has partnered with the Iowa Hawkeyes to pick kid captains to honor and celebrate their inspirational stories.

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