Keegan Morgan, right, holds a toy basketball while his younger brother, Christian, lounges on the floor behind him in their room at their home in Chattanooga. Keegan and Christian sleep in bunk beds, background. Keegan sleeps in the top bunk because he is older.
Staff Photo by Jenna Walker/Chattanooga Times Free PressInitially, your eyes lock in on the the small patch of light brown freckles sprinkled across his cheeks and nose. Before long a crooked smile curls his lips, indicating that Keegan Morgan is a typically mischievous 7-year-old boy.
One moment he is engrossed in his hand-held video game. The next he is in a plastic-swords duel with his younger brother Christian, who at 3 years old already is several inches taller than Keegan.
And that’s when the realization sets in that Keegan, an adorable kid who is a blur of spunk and sass and giggles, has had to fight through a series of nightmarish medical obstacles since birth just to enjoy the days that aren’t filled with needles and MRI scans and limitations.
Keegan has had 10 surgeries for a variety of health issues. The latest, in February 2010, was to remove a brain tumor that, although benign, impaired his vision and stunted his growth.
Keegan and his family spent this week back at St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis for another post-operation checkup. While the Morgans were away, the Make-A-Wish Foundation granted Keegan’s wish to have a basketball court built in his back yard.