ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic have signed a new member to the team.
Her name is Priann Franco, a 15-year-old who like many of her new Magic teammates works hard in the weight room, eats nutritious food, and cares deeply about living a healthy lifestyle.
Because of that connection, it didn’t take long for Franco, a success story from AdventHealth for Children’s Healthy Weight and Wellness program, to bond with her new teammates.
She even got to shoot hoops on the Magic’s practice court, now called the AdventHealth Practice Facility, with Jonathan Isaac, her tour guide during her orientation.
“Definitely a dream come true,” Franco said.
The journey to becoming an honorary member of the Magic, however, was not easy for the South Lake High School student, who under the direction of Dr. Angela Fals overcame various health obstacles.
Prior to joining AdventHealth’s program, which has worked with nearly 2,500 kids over the past eight years with recent analysis showing that 75 percent of the participants have increased or maintained their physical activity, Franco was overweight and at risk of developing diabetes.
Over the last year, though, the 10th grader has adopted a passion for lifting weights and playing sports such as basketball and tennis. Her life has changed so much that now she’s ready to help influence other children who are looking for inspiration.
“The process has been hard, that’s for sure, but the journey needs to be hard in order for it to be good,” she said. “I hope that people can take from my story and make it part of their story too to help them realize the things I did they can do as well.”
Dr. Fals, a pediatrician who specializes in weight management for children and adolescents, is extremely proud of Franco and is confident her strides will spark a domino effect.
“As a child or a teen really starts embracing that, then it goes to the other kids too,” Fals said. “They get inspired, they get motivated and they keep helping each other. So, that’s exactly what she’s going to be doing now is continuing to help other kids to be able to walk that same journey.”
The signing of Franco occurred synchronously with the Magic unveiling the AdventHealth Practice Facility, which is part of an expanded partnership between the two organizations who together believe they can tackle the assortment of health problems that are affecting so many people throughout Central Florida.
“It’s really exciting on a couple different levels,” said Magic CEO Alex Martins, who was joined during the presentation by Daryl Tol, president and CEO of AdventHealth’s Central Florida Division, and Magic President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman. “Number one, it certainly helps advance the medicine and the performance that we are able to provide to our players. Their research and the doctor care that they have and the professionals that they have working at AdventHealth can really help us and improve our players’ approach to not getting injured but also improve things like nutrition, their ability to sleep in the right manner and the right amount of time. So, it’s really going to help us advance keeping our players healthy, keeping them on the court and extending their careers.”
Earlier this month, AdventHealth Foundation was one of 16 Central Florida organizations to receive funding from the Orlando Magic Youth Foundation (OMYF) as part of their annual efforts to assist community programs designed to augment children’s lives.
With the Magic’s assistance, AdventHealth has been able to enhance its fitness program and give kids like Franco more resources to improve their health.
“The Orlando Magic are a community asset,” Tol said. “They are a lot of fun to watch but they give back to their community and they focus on thriving communities. And that’s part of what they do with AdventHealth, they partner with us to help the community thrive.”