SAN ANTONIO — On Saturday, Oct. 28, a five-year-old ran the ball to a touchdown at the Panthers game. While that sounds like a typical Saturday for the Panthers, this player had two teammates running with him near the end of the game with their hands on his back guiding him to the end zone.
See, football is life, and a source of joy for Keontae McKinnon.
"[My favorite thing is] Running around and running the ball," he said.
His dad, Brandon coaches the Panthers' seven-year-old team. It's the team that Keontae's older brothers and cousin play on. Keontae, once played on the 5-year-old Panthers football team, but he hasn't been able to play in over a year.
"He says that when they're at practice, like, 'Mommy, I'm jealous because I can't play football,'" Mariah Todd said.
A year ago, Keontae McKinnon received a diagnosis that flipped his entire world upside down.
"In the beginning, we thought he just had, like, a little cold or the flu, and we kept taking him back to the emergency room and back and forth, back and forth," Todd said. "First they said it was cellulitis of the eye and then the ear infection, and [then] they told us sure enough that it was rhabdomyosarcoma, stage four, group four. It started in his prostate area and it trickled up his spine and onto his brain, and it formed within a matter of months."
Rhabdomyosarcoma is rare accounting for only three percent of all childhood cancer diagnoses. McKinnon is battling three tumors - one on his prostate, one on his spine, and one on his optic nerve. He lost his eyesight a little over a year ago.
"My son has never complained about losing his eyesight," Todd said. "We tell him to pray every night and he tells us, 'Well, mommy, I can already see.'
While Keontae remains in high spirits, not playing football is hard for the five-year-old who still cheers his family from the sidelines. It's why on Saturday, his coaches, referees, and league, agreed to let Keontae McKinnon play ball on the field.
During half-time, his former football team and coaches hyped him up cheering on Keontae "Snacks" McKinnon. By the end of the game, with a little encouragement from his parents, and a little help from his teammates, Keontae got to do what he missed most, play football.
It's a moment of normalcy, amid a time of uncertainty for the McKinnons.
At the end of August, Keontae had finished all his rounds of radiation and chemotherapy. The family explains that doctors let them know everything was good, until a PET scan earlier this week showed something no one wanted to see.
"Right now, the PET scan results are showing that the tumor is active, so he got a biopsy done yesterday and it takes 10 to 14 days for the results to come back," Todd said. "If the biopsy comes back that it is active , he may or may not, you know, have much longer."
Surrounded by family in the bleachers and on the field Saturday, Keontae is soaking in every moment of joy. He says he is strong, brave and tough.
"God had my back," he said.
On Oct. 12, the Panthers are inviting the city for a game to celebrate and honor Keontae "Snacks" McKinnon. The game is at Universal City Park at 9:30 am. McKinnon is also planned to run the ball for a touchdown again.