It’s is the first time Miles Levine has his shoulder pads on in a while. No helmet or football pants. He’s wearing his number 9 home blue with white letting Spanish River High School jersey.
He runs out for a single pass in warm-ups. He catches it and tosses it back.
“Miles!” his mom, Jamie Levine, yells from the stands.
“Nervous. Everything he does makes me nervous at this point. But happy that he’s going to be okay,” she would tell us later in an interview.
“If I had to redo my life, I wouldn’t change a thing,” Miles told us.
On August 17, Miles injured his head when he went for a pass against West Boca. He went in for surgery that night at the Delray Medical Center. His brain was bleeding-diagnosed with a subdural hematoma.
He’s undergone two major surgeries.
“He is a walking miracle. He really is,” his dad, Adam Levine, said.
After the injury, his family started the Miles Levine Foundation. They are raising money to buy safer helmets for Spanish River and potentially more schools.
The ones they use now are about $200, Adam says. The ones they want are $450.
“It’s not the schools fault they don’t have the right helmets. Helmets are very expensive but they’re concussion helmets are they’re safer,” Adam said.
Miles grandfather was a plastic surgeon. He had planned on following in his footsteps until the injury.
Next fall, he’ll start freshman year at University of Florida.
“At first I wanted to be a plastic surgeon. That was my plan but now I’m kind of looking into neurosurgery a little bit because it saved my life,” Miles said.
Mile’s was precise about his recovery, he said it was 93% of the way there. He said he won’t play football again.
If you want to help in the effort for the safer helmets, this is the link: https://www.gofundme.com/support-for-miles