Florida

Southwest Florida Teen Inspires Nike Sneaker for Athletes with Disabilities

When a disabled southwest Florida teen reached out to Nike three years ago asking for help getting in and out of his favorite sneakers, he had no idea he would one day be the inspiration behind a shoe designed to help athletes just like him.

As expressed within its mission statement, Nike believes "If you have a body, you’re an athlete."

Parkland, Florida teen Matthew Walzer embodies the spirit of that statement.

Walzer, who was born two months premature at only two pounds, 14 ounces, entered the world with under-developed lungs that led to a brain injury which resulted in him having Cerebral Palsy. It stiffens the muscles in his body, leaving Walzer with flexibility in only one of his hands. He also walks with the assistance of canes.

In his letter to Nike in 2012, Walzer indicated that he'd beaten the odds, was taking AP classes, had a 3.9 GPA and that he had a passion for sports journalism. But out of all the challenges he had overcome in his life, the one thing he was still trying to master was the ability to tie his own shoes.

"I've worn Nike basketball shoes all my life. I can only wear this type of shoe because I need ankle support to walk, " Walzer indicated in his letter. "At 16 years old, I am able to completely dress myself, but my parents still have to tie my shoes. As a teenager who is striving to become totally self-sufficient, I find this extremely frustrating, and at times, embarrassing."

The teen went on to suggest that Nike produce a sneaker that provided moderate support, but had a closure system that could be used by everyone.

To Walzer's surprise, the blogpost went viral within a matter of days, and quickly caught the attention of Nike executives. In response, renowned Nike designer Tobie Hatfield designed and sent a prototype shoe just for Walzer.

"Taking them out of the box and putting them on, I just felt this wave of independence that I never got to experience before," Walzer said at the time.

Hatfield and Walzer kept in touch over the next three years, as Nike worked to further develop a shoe for disabled athletes. Hatfield looked to existing Nike designs, including the Nike Hyperdunk and the Nike Zoom Soldier, which aligned with Walzer’s favorite basketball player, LeBron James.

Three years later, the Zoom Soldier 8 FLYEASE is a cutting edge, wraparound zippered sneaker that will make getting in and out of a shoe much easier for people with disabilities.

Before the shoes went on sale Thursday, Walzer was presented with the very first pair, as well as a meet-and-greet with King James himself.

"I think it's an unbelievable story," James said in a Nike company video. "I'm very honored and very blessed that my shoe is part of the whole project. The inspiration that he gave us is going to last for a lifetime."

Walzer, now a sophomore at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, is said to be sporting his custom kicks all over campus.

The LeBron Soldier 8 FLYEASE is now available in limited quantities and can be purchased directly from Nike's website.

WATCH to learn more about the Zoom Soldier 8 FLYEASE journey:
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