TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Nearly an hour after McKenzie Milton played in his first game in over 1,000 days, a small group of family members and friends waited for him in the parking lot outside the Florida State football facility in the near dark late Sunday night, illuminated only by the lights of the neighboring practice field.
Milton finally emerged, with a portable massager in hand, and made his way over to his family. He hugged his brother Michael. Then, he saw his dad.
"Happy Birthday, Dad," Milton said, his eyes welling with tears. "I love you.