Unfortunately, that same heart is failing the 17-year-old.
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Jack was born with four profound heart defects that led him to have three open-heart surgeries.
He later developed protein-losing enteropathy, an abnormal loss of protein in the digestive tract, as a result of those surgeries.
“Just sweet, just sweet…we’re just really grateful”, said Patty Salmond, Jack’s mother. “So he has a lot of digestive problems”.
“It was really cool to have him here. He said nope, I’m staying on the list and want to come next year”.
His mother, understandably, has concerns.
With a little “luck of the Irish” – and a few help from the Make-A-Wish Foundation – Jack was granted an all-access pass to The Joyce Center and Notre Dame Stadium.
Notre Dame assistant coach Mike Elston is Vaughn’s primary recruiter and Vaughn said their relationship, along with Vaughn’s affinity for the rest of the Irish staff, went a long way toward sealing the deal.
Donte Vaughn, 4-star cornerback from Whitehaven High School, announced his commitment to Notre Dame this afternoon on Twitter. But his length certainly gives him a skill-set that doesn’t now exist on the Notre Dame roster. An ACL injury cut short Crawford’s freshman season before it got started, but not before Crawford already proved he’ll be a valuable piece of the Irish secondary for years to come.
Assuming he signs with the Irish in February, Vaughn would be the first player from Memphis to go to Notre Dame in the Rivals.com era.
Jack arrived in South Bend on Wednesday accompanied by his parents, Patty and Nyles Salmond, and two older sisters. Former National Football League athlete and Notre Dame alum Reggie Brooks was his tour guide.
“It was fantastic”, he said of meeting Kelly. “When I was up there for my official visit I saw everything I needed to see to know it was the place for me. Is this real?’ It was a good experience”. He got to go Saturday’s game against Navy.
“It’s been really wonderful”.
For Jack Salmond, Saturday was the greatest day ever. “But he’s just a trooper, he just adjusts for whatever”.
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This article was written by Erin Blasko from South Bend Tribune, Ind. and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.
