Wapello 10-year-old to be Kid Captain for Hawkeyes matchup against Oregon Ducks

IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) - A 10-year-old girl from Wapello will be this week’s Kid Captain for when the Iowa Hawkeyes take on the Oregon Ducks.

At 2 years old, Harper Atkinson suffered her first spontaneous bone fracture when her thigh broke at a park. She was taken to the hospital where an x-ray showed she had multiple lesions throughout her body.

She has had over 35 bone fractures resulting in 11 surgeries since she was two. Harper’s care team considers this an undiagnosed metabolic bone disease.

University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children’s Hospital says they believe Harper is the only person in the world with this condition and there is no known cure. She also has craniosynostosis, a condition in which the bones of the skull fuse prematurely.

Harper works with several specialty clinics and has surgically implanted telescoping rods to reduce the risk of her leg bones fracturing.

She is now 10-years old and loves kittens, school, horseback riding, playing the piano, and singing. See more of her story here.

Iowa Hawkeyes kickoff against the Oregon Ducks Saturday at 2:30 p.m.