INDIANAPOLIS — When thinking about Lucas Oil Stadium on a Sunday, the word “quiet” likely doesn’t come to mind. “Silent” is probably an even further stretch, but that’s how 8-year-old Mark Braster experienced his first Colts game.
“My son, he feels left out a lot just because he can’t communicate with a lot of people,” his mom, Veronica Ochoa, said.
Braster was born deaf and lives with a rare congenital brain condition called Pontine Tegmental Cap Dysplasia, which affects his mobility. He and his mom recently moved to Indianapolis from Fort Wayne so Mark could attend the Indiana School for the Deaf.
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“Being able to have that opportunity for Mark to get the proper education like any other kid, it’s amazing,” Ochoa said.
While she said Braster has made leaps and bounds at his new school, the move hasn’t been without the sacrifice of leaving friends and family.
About two months into their new home, Ochoa’s parents treated the duo to tickets to the Colts-Raiders game. Ochoa made a TikTok to see if the Colts would be willing to make the game even more special for her son. Sure enough, she secured sideline passes that would eventually create a viral video seen across social media.
“For the Colts to be able to give that blessing to Mark was amazing,” Ochoa said.
When the day of the game finally came, Braster raced down the tunnel dressed in his Johnathon Taylor jersey and steadied by his walker. Ochoa said he was blown away by the lights and scope of it all.
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Morgan, a Colts Cheerleader, made her way onto the field soon after. To Ochoa’s surprise, she started signing with Braster, who knows American Sign Language (ASL).
“[It was] definitely a highlight of my career as a cheerleader,” 23-year-old Morgan said.
Morgan, a second-year member of the Colts Cheerleaders, said her aunt, an ASL interpreter, inspired her to learn the language years ago. She picked it up as a minor at Indiana University, but has fond memories dating back long before her studies.
“One Christmas, I got a book of signs,” Morgan said. “I can picture it exactly. It was yellow, it had all the emotions, all the colors, the alphabet and I loved it. I fell in love with it from that.”
Morgan has long thought knowing ASL would help her as an occupational therapy student, but not as much as a cheerleader.
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The video of Braster and Morgan together shows Morgan handing off a picture of the cheer team while simultaneously signing and talking. Braster has a moment where he looks at his mom in disbelief.
”Just to be able to have one other person besides myself interact with my son and communicate that was the best feeling,” Ochoa said.
No one expected the video to get the kind of attention it’s received in the last week or so, but Morgan couldn’t be more grateful.
”The comments and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive and insane,” Morgan said. ”It’s insane to see that it has blown up as much as it has.”
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It’s guaranteed to be a moment neither she nor Braster will ever forget.
”I don’t think he’s ever going to stop talking about this,” Ochoa said.
As the online attention inevitably dies down, Morgan hopes the video serves as a reminder to strive for greater opportunities for everyone, no matter their abilities.
“Yes, we’re cheerleaders and we cheer and we dance, but it’s so much bigger than that,” Morgan said. ”I’m so grateful that this has turned into a bigger discussion about inclusivity and accessibility within the NFL.”
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