Despite being a leg amputee and only having two fingers on his left hand, nine-year-old Ezra Frech strives everyday to “make it happen.” He set seven national track and field records and was recently nominated as Sports Illustrated Kids Sports Kid of the Year.

Kids In The House is excited to introduce you to Ezra’s family and their advice on how to teach kids about differences. No two children are exactly the same, and Ezra’s family has worked hard to inspire others that despite differences, we can achieve our dreams.

Click here to view Ezra’s story.

Ezra has a rare chromosome condition, which caused him to be born with a shorter left leg and only one finger on his left hand. When he was only six months old, Ezra underwent extensive surgery to amputate his foot on the shorter leg and use one of his toes to create a second finger on his left hand. Now, Ezra uses a prosthetic leg to not just walk around but to compete in sports including basketball, football, karate, and track and field. “When I play sports it makes me feel at home and I’m not thinking about being different,” says Ezra. “And I just feel like I am one of the guys.”

Throughout the years, Ezra has worked hard to make his dreams come true and he has won nine medals at the National Junior Disability Championships. “I think your job as a parent is to help your child get the most out of life,” says Clayton Frech, Ezra’s dad. Ezra has loved sports since he was little and even learned to count using the time clock on the screen during LA Lakers games. All the watching and practice paid off as he led his basketball team to an undefeated record this summer.

Ezra’s parents have been instrumental to his positive and motivated attitude. “He needs his parents to empathize with him… We can feel the pain with him but we also need to talk about all the great things,” explains Bahar Soomekh, Ezra’s mom. Parents have a great opportunity to not just be there for their children but to teach them that they can find success in life.

Ezra visits schools each year to share with young kids what he has gone through and how being different is okay. He inspires everyone he talks with that no matter what your circumstances, you can achieve your dreams. “You can do anything you want to. You can dream it, you can hope it, or you can make it happen. I choose to make it happen because that’s the only way you are going to get it,” says Ezra.

To vote for Ezra as SportsKid of the Year visit www.sikids.com/skoty. Voting closes 12:00PM ET on October 13th.