Gone are the words “Air Jordan” on the tongue of the sneaker. Instead, it is replaced with “POLLITO.”
With his name being accompanied alongside Michael Jordan and the Air Jordan Retro 9 sneakers, 11-year-old Oswaldo Jiménez is the new designer of his very own Nike shoes that go on sale Friday. They are called “POLLITOS,” or the “Baby Chicken” in English.
The Mexican boy was one of six children selected for the Nike/Doernbecher Freestyle program, which allows patients from the Doernbecher Children’s Hospital in Oregon to design their own Nike shoes in ways that “reflect their individual stories and personalities.”
Oswaldo, after suffering a series of fainting spells, was diagnosed with a heart condition called severe pulmonary hypertension a year ago by doctors at the Portland children’s hospital.
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Each of the children in the program were given the opportunity to design their own shoe including choosing the colors, materials and details used. The program, now in its ninth year, has raised over $4 million. All the proceeds benefit the Oregon Health and Science University and help give necessary funding to develop clinical programs, build hospitals and provide crucial medical coverage for the children.
The sneaker comes in a black/white/gold colorway. With a lasered feather pattern and fighting chicken graphic on the sock liner, “POLLITO” pays homage to Oswaldo’s Mexican roots with a with a red and green outsole option. His favorite number, 17, is engraved on the back heel and his birth date, September 13, is inside the tongue.
“I feel really happy about that because I love my shoe. Everybody loves it. I loved how I designed it. I’m happy with that. I like it pretty much,” Oswaldo told Fox News Latino. “It will help other kids.”
The “POLLITO” was also inspired by Oswaldo’s family nickname, “El Pollito,” the little chicken.
“Osvaldito was a pain in the neck when it came to eating. I remember he would like the rice soup that we would make for him. So he would take out the grains of rice and start eating them one by one,” his mother, Carmen Viviana Hernández, said while laughing. Read the full article on FOX NEWS Latino.
