It's been nearly a year since a fire swept through Izaiah Brown's house in upstate New York. Izaiah Brown, now running for Rutgers, was one of the most promising 400m runners in State History. He has followed that up with several records on the track in College, despite battling some nagging injuries. However, the Aug 30th fire stole the reminders of where he came from, when it engulfed his State Medals. On Tuesday, NYSPHSAA decided to fix that. Read on below...
TOWN OF AMSTERDAM -- The char-stained trophies and medals that sit in the small side room in Izaiah Brown's new family home serve as both a devastating reminder and a symbol.
A reminder of what was lost in the span of a few minutes on Aug. 30, 2016 as a fire engulfed the family's former home in a two-apartment residence at 78 Bunn St., and a symbol of the obstacles Brown and his family have overcome in the nearly 11 months since.
"I walk by them all the time, and seeing the original ones I earned, I'm not going to throw them away," Brown said. "They're always gonna be a sign of my hard work. Honestly, looking at them charred, I told my family when my mom and my sister were heartbroken at seeing everything gone, I told them, 'Don't look at them like a nightmare, look at it like we're overcoming another obstacle.' That's how my family has come along to accept it and really embrace it."