Injured 7-year-old touches Russell Wilson’s heart

We’ve been following McKenzie Harris since she spent five months at Seattle Children’s Hospital following a terrible car crash on New Year’s Day. Doug and Sara Harris had just picked up 7-year-old McKenzie and her little brother, Wyatt, after a rare night out.

“The only thing I really remember is her just saying, ‘Oh my god, Doug,’ and then I just had time to reach for my daughter and my wife, and we made impact,” recalls McKenzie’s father.

They were hit head-on by a man suffering a medical emergency. Three-year-old Wyatt’s injuries were relatively minor, but both Sara and McKenzie were unconscious for several days.

After numerous surgeries and months in wheelchairs, Doug and Sara were able to go home. But, McKenzie’s road to recovery has been much longer. She was paralyzed and required a ventilator to breathe.

Thanks to volunteers and donations from the Ron and Don Nation, the Harris family home has received a $120,000 remodel and addition so McKenzie can be home with her family.

But before McKenzie left the hospital, she got a visit from one of her favorite Seattle Seahawks, quarterback Russell Wilson.

“Russell came and they were so surprised,” says Sara Harris. “He was wonderful (…) just so lovely and charming.”

McKenzie had her Russell Wilson jersey on and her 12th man flag displayed in her room when Wilson came to see her.

“When he was actually there, she was kind of like starstruck and didn’t actually talk much,” Sara says. “She was really excited!”

He definitely made an impression on the little girl struggling to regain control of her limbs. What McKenzie and her family didn’t know is the impression she made on the Seahawks Star.

NBC’s Chris Collinsworth actually talked about it during the national NFL television broadcast of the Seahawks-Packers game.

“It was interesting hearing Russell Wilson talking about going to Children’s Hospital with Earl Thomas and visiting a young lady there that had been recently paralyzed,” said Collinsworth. “Just how blessed he felt to be getting back in the car, that’s all he talked about on the way home.”

The Harris family was home training a couple of new nurses on how to take care of McKenzie during the game. They had the TV on in the background, but didn’t realize what had happened until it was over.

They started getting phone calls from friends and family all over the country, then went to the DVR to rewind the recording and watch it again.

“It feels amazing. I mean, we know she’s pretty cool, but for Russell to think about her like that is pretty awesome,” says Sara.

McKenzie has been through months of surgeries and therapies to make slow progress toward regaining control of her body. Through it all, she’s kept her optimism and spunk thanks to her family, friends and special visitors like Russell Wilson.

McKenzie’s friends and family posted a recording of the NBC broadcast on her Facebook page. You can watch it here.