Avery Wilson, a 13-year-old Hazelbrook Middle School eighth-grader from Tualatin, spent nine months working with Nike designers to create a custom Air Jordan 11 Low IE sneaker for the 2027 Doernbecher Freestyle Collection.
The annual program, now in its 22nd year, pairs six young patients at OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital with Nike employee volunteers to design limited-edition footwear, according to a Nike press release.
All profits go to the OHSU Foundation benefiting Doernbecher. The program has raised more than $49 million since 2004, Nike said.
The six designs debuted at a charity auction in Portland on Oct. 16. That auction netted a record $2.4 million, Tualatin Life reported.
Proceeds help cover care for families in need, fund research and support a planned hospital addition combining the mother-baby unit, fetal surgery and a new neonatal intensive care unit, according to Tualatin Life.
Wilson was diagnosed at age 11 with severe obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and ADHD at a psychiatry clinic at Doernbecher. She had struggled with intrusive thoughts about contamination that made daily routines like sleeping, dressing and hugging her parents increasingly difficult, Tualatin Life reported.
"It's just totally surreal," Wilson told Tualatin Life about the shoe experience.
Her treatment began with clinic director Dr. Kyle Johnson, who eventually nominated her for the Freestyle program.
Johnson helped Wilson externalize her fears as the "Rat King," named for a character in The Nutcracker ballet she was preparing to dance in at the time.
Her treatment ladder started with small tasks and progressed to cutting her shower time to two minutes, according to Tualatin Life.
Wilson's shoe tells her story. The design features color blocks of green, orange, pink, purple and yellow with iridescent laces. A small replica Oregon license plate reading "PPY 143" hides beneath the tongue, a tribute to her late grandfather "Poppy," with her family's numeric code for "I love you."
The word "Neurospicy" is stitched along the collar with a red chili pepper as a nod to her own brain. A plush green alien named Greg clips to the laces.
Her father, David Wilson, told Tualatin Life he credits the hospital. "The designers really invest in these kids," he said. "… I think (Doernbecher) literally saved her life."
Since 2004, nearly 370 Nike employees have volunteered for the Freestyle program, according to Nike.
Each year's design cycle runs about nine months, with volunteers reviewing patient questionnaires and refining designs through multiple rounds of feedback.
Wilson's Air Jordan 11 Low IE and the full collection will be available online and at select retail locations in January 2027. Prices range from $120 to $200, according to sneaker outlet JustFreshKicks.
