(6-17-26) Kalamazoo Loy Norrix’s Chris McNeal (Sophomore) is a story of not letting setbacks in his life stop him from pursuing his pitching career. When he pitches, he lands on a carbon-fiber prosthetic.

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Chris McNeal, a sophomore at Loy Norrix, had his foot amputated shortly after birth. Facing other complications, including only having one kidney, McNeal spent much of his childhood getting and recovering from surgery. For all the adversity he’s faced, McNeal has shown remarkable resilience. Using a prosthetic leg, McNeal learned how to play sports and adapt to his circumstances. He fell in love with baseball and took up pitching. Now, he’s proving doubters wrong and earning strikeouts with an arsenal of pitches that includes a wicked slider. (Devin Anderson-Torrez | MLive)

Born with VACTERL association — a rare condition that left McNeal with a deformed left leg, a missing kidney and a damaged spine —

What is VACTERL Association?

VACTERL association, sometimes called VATER syndrome, is a group of conditions that occur together. The name is based on an acronym for the affected organs and systems:

V — the vertebrae (bones of the spinal column)
A —anus
C —cardiac anomalies
T— trachea
E— esophagus (the tube food enters when you swallow)
R —renal (kidney) anomalies
L —limb differences

VACTERL association presents differently in each affected person — not all patients will experience the same combination of symptoms — or the same degree of severity of symptoms. To be diagnosed with VACTERL, a baby must have anomalies in at least three of these symptoms.

It’s estimated that 1 out of 10,000 to 40,000 babies is born with VACTERL. Because the condition presents in different ways and diagnostic criteria vary, it’s likely the condition is somewhat underdiagnosed.

Boys are slightly more likely than girls to be affected, but VACTERL isn’t more common among any particular ethnic or racial group. Having one baby with VACTERL doesn’t increase your chances of having another baby with the disorder.

McNeal has endured 17 operations, including a below-the-knee amputation of his left leg at four months old, just to pursue a normal life

mlive.com – One-legged Michigan high school pitcher defies odds, adversity in pursuit of dream