Addie Echols
Junior Grayson Hume is here today because of the Shriners Hospital for Children. Hume was adopted from Ukraine at only eighteen months old– his parents knew Hume had proximal femoral focal deficiency. When he arrived in the United States, Shriners Children’s Hospital performed Hume’s amputation and built his prosthetic leg. Nineteen years later in July 2024, Hume was selected as the Shriners Children’s Hospital International Patient Ambassador for the coming year. Out of thousands of nominees across the United States, Hume was selected alongside Paige LaCombe of Louisiana. Together, they will travel throughout the country and speak at arrangements and conferences. Hume will be attending media events in places such as Canada and Utah in the coming months. Hume and LaCombe will also be in the Annual Tournament of Roses Parade and make appearances at different sporting events, such as The East West Shrine Bowl in Dallas and the Shriners Children’s College Showdown.
“I love it, it’s a great organization,” Hume said. “It’s been a blessing for sure. In 2014-2015 I became the Shriners Lexington patient ambassador and then on July 4th of this year, I got announced as the International Patient Ambassador. So the two of us [Hume and LaCombe] go to different events around the country just representing Shriners and all the media events.”
Hume met one of his close friends, junior Silas Sheahen, during his freshman year of college. Hume’s life story has inspired many of his friends, including Sheahen.
“I’d say it’s inspired me to go and do good things because he has a really big heart to serve,” Sheahen said. “He’s really helped me and helped lead me through my walk with God.”
Tammy Robbins, Senior Regional Director of Marketing & Communications at Shriners Children’s Hospital, has met and worked with Hume for the past two months. Robbins will schedule his interviews and appearances for the upcoming year along with preparing him and his family for the traveling and events.
“Seeing how genuine and earnest he is with his desire to lift up younger patients and encourage them, letting them know there may be obstacles in front of them by being an amputee, but that they will conquer them as he did – makes us feel so proud of him, and just really happy that we can see that being an International Patient Ambassador is a meaningful role to him,” Robbins said.
