WAKEFIELD – To those who know Northeast Regional senior Gavin Ford, it came as no surprise that he chose March 17 as the date to celebrate his signing a national letter of intent to play wheelchair basketball at the University of Illinois.

It was on this date 23 years ago that his brother James Thomas (J.T.) passed away at 11 months from Krabbe Disease.

“My brother passed away on St. Patrick’s Day,” said Ford, the youngest of five children born to Thomas and Jennifer Ford. “Obviously he can’t be here with us, so this is the most sincere and best way we can honor him.”

Ford was born with spina bifida, a neurological birth defect which left him wheelchair-bound. That certainly hasn’t slowed Ford down as he has surfed, played sled hockey, wheelchair lacrosse, wheelchair tennis and is proud of the fact that he is the first player to play Little League baseball in a wheelchair.

But it was basketball which Ford really took to an early age. Once Ford began playing hoops, he was sold on the sport.

“I was introduced to several different sports at adaptive sports camps and I kind of fell in love with basketball,” Ford said. “I had the opportunity to compete as part of a team and experienced a lot of different things traveling throughout the country.”

Ford’s abilities were quickly noticed as he began drawing the attention of colleges while playing as part of the Ryan Martin Foundation team based in Connecticut. His first scholarship offer came from CUNY where Martin serves as the director of inclusive and adaptive sports as well as the men’s coach.

“I was pretty shocked when I got the first letter,” Ford said. “Even after I got more letters, I have always the same excited feeling.”

The school that eventually won Ford’s service was the University of Illinois, which fielded the first collegiate wheelchair team in 1948. Ford plans on majoring in structural engineering, while competing on the basketball team.

“There were a multitude of reasons why I chose Illinois,” Ford said. “First of all, it is a renowned academic institution and that was very important to me. When I met the team and coaches, they were all so welcoming and I liked that.”

Ford has made his mark at Northeast Regional as evidenced by a supportive crowd of friends, family and faculty at his signing event. Principal Richard Barden spent most of his five minutes speaking primarily about Ford and the legacy he’s left in the corridors of Northeast Regional. As he spoke, school superintendent David DiBarri stood in the back, beaming like a proud father.

“From the first day Gavin came to Northeast, he’s always been someone looking to help others,” said DiBarri. “Gavin is someone who is going to be missed around here.”

Added athletic director Donald Heres: “Gavin is the type of kid who has a smile that will light up a room. When he sets his mind to do something, he’s going to do it.”

The mutual respect goes both ways as Ford lauded the school and how much easier they’ve made things for him and his family.

“They’ve been so understanding about every aspect of my life, whether it has been medical or adaptive sports,” Ford said. “They’ve given many plenty of opportunities and I have been able to make the most out of them thanks to everyone here at the school.”