Call it one heck of an early birthday gift.
Georgia twins J'Son and Ja'Kerria Walker, who turned 13 on Aug. 7, recently participated in the opening ceremony of the 2016 Rio Olympics as part of the McDonald's Olympic Kids Program, which celebrates the spirit of friendship.
They were among 100 youths from around the world ages 8-12 in the McDonald’s program to participate in the ceremony at the famed Maracanã stadium.
J’Son and Ja’Kerria and others were led by some of the world’s all-time greatest Olympians and their children.
This was the first time McDonald's has sent youths to participate in an opening ceremony.
Among those watching were the twins’ mother, Shalonda Polk of Sylvester, Ga., and their paternal grandfather.
“I can’t even explain what it was like,” to watch her children in the ceremony, said Polk, a sales clerk in a clothing store. “It was beautiful, just the meaning of it. For those kids to walk through the stadium, it was priceless. I was trying to record it and crying and screaming and hollering.”
In 2005, J'Son was diagnosed with a serious form of sickle cell disease and was treated at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. During his hospital stays, his family relied on the Atlanta Ronald McDonald House to stay close to him.
At one point, J’Son, who is in the seventh grade, fell into a coma for 55 days, said his mother.
“They deserve it,” she said. “He has been so sick and his sister always tried to be there as much as she could helping him get through it all.”
The twins were overjoyed when they learned they were going to the Olympics.
At first, though, J’Son thought his mother was playing a prank on him.
“I didn’t know it was real,” he said in a telephone interview. “My mom tricks me a lot.” He said his friends are thrilled as well. He can’t wait to tell others that he was on television and in the Olympics in Rio. He loved being around the athletes and eating Brazilian food. “I got to eat a lot of steak,” said J’Son, a huge basketball fan who loves everything Steph Curry and Golden State Warriors.
Ja’Kerria also enjoyed the visit, although she said she’s spent much of the time since she returned trying to prepare for school and catching up on her sleep.
Beth Howell, president and CEO of the Atlanta Ronald McDonald House, said the staffers know the family pretty well because of their frequent stays when J’Son was sick.
“In addition to being siblings, J’Son and Ja’Kerria are also great friends and supporters of each other.”
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