Nike Unveils The 18th Annual Doernbecher Freestyle Collection

After three years of going virtual, Nike’s fundraising auction in collaboration with the Oregon Health and Sciences University (OHSU) Doernbecher Children’s Hospital has returned in-person.
 
Since 2004, the Nike Doernbecher Freestyle program has raised nearly nearly $31 million for the Pacific Northwestern hospital, delivering some of the most creative Air Jordan, Nike and Converse products in the process. More than transactional, the partnership between six of OHSU’s patients and Nike Employee Design volunteers promotes the idea that sport can create change and a better world. As the first collection prepped in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the seven-pair lineup brings the unique narratives, intricate details and experimental color palettes back to the spotlight.
 
The Nike Doernbecher XVIII Freestyle will launch via Nike SNKRS, the Nike App/Nike.com and at select retailers in early 2023. Before, however, the Swoosh will host its beloved auction tonight at 7:30 p.m. EDT at the Portland Art Museum. For a detailed look at all seven designs that are being bid on, as well as the talented creatives behind them, continue ahead.
 
 

Good at both dancing and doing math in his head, Emerson Harrell, 15, is an energetic, and witty teenager. As a growing sneaker collector–ten pairs and counting!–Harrell now enjoys his very own Air Max 90. Money graphics are featured throughout the pair, nodding to the Sherwood, Ore.-native’s dream of becoming an investor. “Bear Down” messaging on the sneaker honors Harrell’s fandom of the Arizona Wildcats, which the 15-year-old has adopted as a rallying cry for all of life’s challenges.
 
Harrell’s diagnosis is inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a condition characterized by inflammation of the lining of one’s digestive tract.
 

Hailing from Springfield, Ore., Jaren Heacock has a bright future. At just 10 years old, Heacock loves coding and building robots, two activities that couple well with his energetic spirit. His Nike Zoom Vomero 5 design for the 18th Doernbecher Freestyle Collection, however, looks elsewhere for inspiration: interchangeable patches and dragon-reminiscent details honor his Chinese heritage, while the his siblings are immortalized forever on the pair’s insides.
 
Heacock’s diagnosis is cleft palate, a birth defect thats occurs during pregnancy in which the lip or mouth doesn’t form properly.
 

Coley Miller loves basketball, playing outside with family and stargazing. For her contribution to the latest Nike Doernbecher Freestyle Collection, the 11-year-old looked to her Klamath roots, covering the iconic Nike Air Foamposite One in details like basket weave, mountain and quail plume graphics. The Swoosh’s famous “Just Do It” message is translated into the Klamath language on the outsole, reading “ho mas gi”.
 
The aspiring veterinarian has been a patient at OHSU because of a kidney transplant. Miller’s mother donated a kidney to her daughter.
 

At 13 years old, Dario Villaseñor Valdivia has showcased an infectious love for life. Raised in Vancouver, Wash., Dario loves oranges, his long-haired plush toy and creating stick animation for his YouTube channel–all things referenced on his Nike Air Huarache.
 
The jokester’s diagnosis is Juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML), a rare cancer of the blood. Dario had a bone marrow transplant at the age of 6, but his body attacked the donor cells, leaving his lungs severely damaged. Being surrounding by people he loves (as well as Chinese food), however, have helped him in his journey.
 

Riddhi Mahajan, 15, hails from Portland, Ore. and idolizes Serena Williams. An aspiring doctor, Mahajan has been described as bright and articulate, which has helped her in promoting her eternal positivity. Having contributed a colorful Air Jordan 1 Low to Nike’s latest fundraising capsule. “Brand New Day” messaging appears on the pair, while the sunrise is recreated via the ombré laces.
 
The black belt in Tae Kwon Do-holder has been a patient of the OHSU because of Cystic fibrosis, a disorder that damages the lungs, digestive tract and other vital organs.
 

Nicknamed “Cookie,” Kylee Young is all about happy vibes. Her Nike Air Presto for the latest OHSU Doernbecher collection by Nike is full of color and images of the things that bring the 12-year-old joy: springtime, flowers and cookies.
 
The Ridgefield, Wash.-native was left paralyzed and unable to speak since childhood due to Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). She’s a survivor, however.