'Lucky fin friends': Racing Louisville FC's Carson Pickett reunites with boy from viral photo
In 2019, when Joseph Tidd was 19 months old, he was in the stands at Inter & Co Stadium in Orlando with his family, cheering as he watched his favorite player, Carson Pickett, play with the Orlando Pride.
He was lucky enough to catch Pickett's attention because they not only shared a love of soccer, they both had partially-formed left arms, a rare limb defect that affects nearly 2,300 babies born each year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The pair formed an instant connection and a photo of the two tapping arms went viral, touching hearts across the nation and garnering nearly 19,000 likes on Instagram since its posting.
Almost five years later, Pickett, who currently plays for Racing Louisville FC, had no idea she was in for a surprise reunion with her "lucky fin friend," as Joseph, who goes by Jojo, made an appearance as her interviewer for a story on ION Television ahead of the team's match against the Portland Thorns FC in March.
In the video, Jojo is seen with his father, Miles Tidd, as they head to Lynn Family Stadium in Louisville to surprise Pickett. The pair spent the afternoon together reconnecting and Pickett reminded Jojo that even though he may not have one of his hands, he can still accomplish anything he wants to do in life.
"Trying to think of things that I just feel like I can't do ... but there's not many because we can do everything, right?" Pickett said to Jojo. "You can dream as big as anyone else with two hands."
Jojo, who continues to share his journey through social media, told Pickett that when he sees his "lucky fin," it reminds him of her. She said she feels the same way because Jojo is the first person she has met who is also missing an arm.
"We can always be lucky fin friends for life," Pickett said.
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This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Racing Louisville FC's Carson Pickett reunites with fan in viral photo
