An extraordinary collaboration between OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital and Nike, Inc., Doernbecher Freestyle gives young patients the opportunity to make their mark designing Nike footwear and apparel collections inspired by their lives, medical journeys and hopes for the future.

Since 2004, 91 young patients have created Doernbecher Freestyle designs that have been auctioned and sold to raise almost $20 million for OHSU Doernbecher, the hospital that changed their lives.

To kick off its 15^th year, Doernbecher Freestyle introduces the 2018 patient-designers:

Aiden Barber: Aiden, 9, is an incoming third-grader from Central Point, Oregon. In 2017, he underwent surgery to correct a vascular malformation. He loves football and dreams of visiting Disney World and NASA. Although they are not twins, Aiden and his sister share a birthday years apart. (Dan Root Photography)

The designs created by Aiden, Chloe, Donovon, Joey, Kirsten and Payton will be unveiled on Saturday, Nov. 10, at the annual Doernbecher Freestyle auction taking place at the Nike World Headquarters near Portland.

The full collections will be available for purchase at nike.com and at select retail locations later in the year.

All of the proceeds from the auction and retail sales will be donated to OHSU Doernbecher to expand pioneering research, support clinical care, purchase state-of-the-art equipment, recruit new pediatric experts and help cover the cost of care for families in need.

About Doernbecher Freestyle

Doernbecher Freestyle was conceived in 2004 by Michael Doherty, senior creative director of Nike Global Brand Presentations and longtime board member of the Doernbecher Children’s Hospital Foundation, after his son suggested Nike produce limited-edition shoes to honor patients and benefit the hospital.

Each year, hospital physicians, nurses and staff nominate patients ages 8 - 15 from around Oregon and Southwest Washington to participate in the program. The selected kids work side by side with dedicated Nike design and development teams to brainstorm ideas, select materials and work with vendors to make even the most extraordinary visions come to life. These young patients use their designs to express powerful personal messages — sometimes serious, sometimes whimsical — about their life experiences, medical journey and hopes for the future. The program provides an opportunity for each patient designer to help other kids at the same hospital that changed their lives.