HOPEWELL, Va. -- A high school wrestling team surprised a Hopewell elementary school student with a one-of-a-kind smile Thursday.
Jordan Keffer's teacher at Patrick Copland Elementary School describes the kindergartner as a sweet boy who loves to run around the playground with his classmates.
Jordan Keffer
But the five-year-old faces a tough challenge because he was born with facial palsey.
His mother, Ashley Nelson, said that as a result, Jordan is unable to move the right side of his face. She describes the condition as "facial weakness."
When his classmates ask him about it, Jordan said he has the answer down pat.
"I say, 'I was born like that,'" Jordan replied.
The wrestling team lines up outside Jordan's classroom.
The Big Surprise
Jordan got to celebrate his sixth birthday a day early when the Hopewell High School wrestling team showed up at his school with balloons and cupcakes.
"I asked if anybody would be interested and every single hand in the room went up," coach Rich Halas said.
The team also ate lunch with him in the cafeteria.
"I truly think that we're not all perfect... We have to embrace those and like I'm here and we're all here," Trenton Davis, a junior who sat beside Jordan at lunch, said. "We thought we could come up here and show him that he has people here for him."
Jordan's mother was thrilled with the birthday present she said money cannot buy.
"Just the act of kindness that they had towards Jordan," Nelson exclaimed. "Jordan doesn't have a lot of friends, so these guys made him feel really special today."
Jordan eats a Happy MeaL while holding some of the wrestling team's medals.
Jordan's Surgery
Nelson said a craniofacial specialist at VCU Medical Center helped diagnose her son's condition, but was unable to perform the type surgery Jordan needs.
However, doctors did refer the family to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
"They will take a muscle from his leg and they will put it in his face," Nelson said.
A fund has been establishedto help cover the cost of Jordan's surgery.
Click here to wish Jordan a happy birthday on the WTVR CBS 6 Facebook page.
Mom, Dad and Jordan
