TONIGHT, A STORY ABOUT RUNNING OUTRUNNING RATHER LIMITS WHILE DEFYING THE ODDS FOR ONE ALABAMA TEENAGER. THIS ALL BEGAN THOUSANDS OF MILES FROM HERE. ONLY ON 13 TONIGHT, BRITTANY DECKER INTRODUCES YOU TO AN OAK MOUNTAIN STUDENT ON THE FAST TRACK. AFTER A JOURNEY THAT SPANS THE GLOBE. I’M GOING TO FOLLOW YOU. DON’T GO TOO FAST. OKAY? BEFORE CHASE EVEN RAN A RACE, BEFORE HE SPOKE A WORD OF ENGLISH. BEFORE HE HAD A FAMILY CHEERING IN THE STANDS. HE HAD THIS. A BRACELET, LEATHER WITH A SINGLE THREAD GIVEN TO A LITTLE BOY IN A CHINESE ORPHANAGE BY THE MAN WHO FIRST TAUGHT HIM HOW TO WALK. NO ONE KNOWS HIS TITLE. THERAPIST. CARE WORKER. ALL THEY KNOW IS HE SAW POTENTIAL IN A CHILD. THE SYSTEM HAD ALREADY GIVEN UP ON. THEY KIND OF DEEM A PERSON WITH ANY TYPE OF DISABILITY AS JUST NOT AT THE HIGH ENOUGH LEVEL FOR SOCIETY. NOW IT’S IN HIS HAND, A REMINDER OF THE MILES BEHIND HIM AND EVERYTHING HE’S STILL CHASING. AFTER ALL, THAT NAME WASN’T AN ACCIDENT. I WANTED TO INCORPORATE HIS CHINESE NAME, WHICH IS TAOTAO, AND SO WE KEPT TAO’S MIDDLE NAME. BUT I TOLD HIM I WAS LIKE, I THINK WE NEED TO KEEP CHASE BECAUSE I THINK GOD WANTS US TO CHASE AFTER HIM. WE KNEW, LIKE, YOU KNOW, GOD HAD CALLED US TO ADOPT A BOY OLDER THAN THEY EXPECTED. 11 AT THE TIME, NOT THE 5 TO 7 YEARS OLD THEY PLANNED FOR A BOY WHOSE FIRST ADOPTION HAD FALLEN THROUGH. A BOY WHO IN CHINA WAS MONTHS AWAY FROM AGING OUT FOREVER. BUT THIS FAMILY REFUSED TO GIVE UP. WE REALLY HAD TO ADVOCATE AND SAY WE WANT HIM APPROVED. IN LATE 2019. HOME. IN JANUARY 2020, JUST DAYS BEFORE FLIGHTS SHUT DOWN, WE WERE ACTUALLY THE LAST FAMILY WITH LIFELINE TO COME BACK FROM CHINA. HE JUMPED ON IN OUR FAMILY AND HADN’T SKIPPED A BEAT. YOU KNOW, WE JUST IMMERSED HIM JUST INTO OUR FAMILY IMMEDIATELY AND HE ADAPTED WELL. HE WAS READY TO GO TO SCHOOL, READY TO MEET NEW PEOPLE. CHASE IN THE ORPHANAGE. CHASE SAYS EDUCATION WASN’T AN OPTION. WITHOUT EDUCATION. YOU CANNOT YOU CANNOT REALLY DO MUCH. BUT IN THE CLASSROOM AT OAK MOUNTAIN HIGH SCHOOL, HE THRIVES. I MET CHASE ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO. OKAY, HERE YOU GO, CHASE. ONE DAY I WAS IN MY ROOM. YOU READY? YES. THERE YOU GO. AND I WAS GOING TO ERASE SOME MATH PROBLEMS OFF THE BOARD. AND CHASE WALKED IN AND HE STARTED ASKING ABOUT THEM. AND A LOT OF THE PROBLEMS I HAD UP THERE WERE AP PRE-CALCULUS AND AP CALCULUS. I CAN DO ARE 12 ANIMALS. PRETTY GOOD? THAT’S GREAT. GOOD JOB. HE’S HARD WORKING AND HE’S VERY DETERMINED AT SCHOOL ON THE TRACK. IN LIFE, NOTHING KEEPS CHASE DOWN, POP BACK UP, BLOODY AND ALL RAN AND FINISHED THAT RACE. AND THEN THEY GAVE HIM THE CHASE LEVEL AWARD. HE DOES HAVE SOME LIMITATIONS, BUT TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, YOU DON’T SEE HIM ON THE TRACK AT ALL. AND IT’S NICE BECAUSE I THINK HE’S A LOT OF TEAMS RECOGNIZE WHO HE IS. AND SO WHEN HE GOES TO MEETS, IT’S A LOT OF CHASE, CHASE, CHASE. HE JUST THE DESIRE THAT HE HAS TO MAKE IT ONCE WITH NO FAMILY, HE NOW WAVES TO HIS OWN IN THE BLEACHERS, A BRACELET IN HIS HAND, A FINISH LINE AHEAD AND A LIFE HE STILL QUITE LITERALLY CHASING. HIS JOURNEY WAS RECOGNIZED STATEWIDE RECENTLY, WHEN THE GOVERNOR HONORED CHASE AT THE ALABAMA GOVERNOR’S COMMITT
A young man’s journey from Chinese orphanage to high school track star
Before Chase Lovell ever ran a race, spoke a word of English or had a cheering family in the stands, he had a bracelet.Leather, worn, with a single thread. It was given to him in a Chinese orphanage by the man who first taught him how to walk. No one knew the man’s official title, therapist or caretaker, but he saw potential in a child the system had already given up on.“They kind of deem a person with any kind of disability as just not at the high enough level for society,” said Adam Lovell, Chase’s adoptive father.The bracelet stayed with Chase, a reminder of the miles behind him and everything he’s still chasing. His name, “Chase,” wasn’t chosen by accident.“We kept his Chinese name, Tao Tao, as his middle name, but ‘Chase’? I told him I think God wants us to chase after him,” said Miranda Lovell, his mother.Chase’s adoption was not simple. His family initially planned to adopt a 5 to 7-year-old, but Chase was 11. A previous adoption had fallen through, and he was months away from aging out of the system. But the Lovells refused to give up. “We really had to advocate and say we want him. I wrote more words to China than I ever have, telling them I’m a speech pathologist, we have resources, therapies — we can give him everything he needs,” Miranda Lovell said.Approved in late 2019, Chase arrived home in January 2020, just days before flights shut down worldwide.“He jumped on in our family and hadn’t skipped a beat,” Miranda said.In China, Chase had little access to education.“Without education, you cannot really do much,” he said.But at Oak Mountain High School, he thrives in math, in the classroom, and on the track.One teacher recalls, “I met Chase about two years ago. One day, I was erasing math problems off the board, and Chase walked over asking about them — a lot of the problems were AP pre-calculus and AP calculus.” Chase said, “I can do 12th-grade math pretty good.”On the track, nothing keeps him down. When he fell during a race, the crowd held its breath — but he popped back up and finished strong. His determination earned him the Chase Lovell Award. “He does have some limitations, but you don’t see them on the track. A lot of teams recognize who he is and so when he goes to meets, it’s a lot of, ‘Chase! Chase! Chase!’” said his coach.Once told that “family isn’t for you,” Chase now waves to one in the bleachers. With a bracelet in hand, a finish line ahead, and a life he’s still quite literally chasing, his story is far from over.
Before Chase Lovell ever ran a race, spoke a word of English or had a cheering family in the stands, he had a bracelet.
Leather, worn, with a single thread. It was given to him in a Chinese orphanage by the man who first taught him how to walk. No one knew the man’s official title, therapist or caretaker, but he saw potential in a child the system had already given up on.
“They kind of deem a person with any kind of disability as just not at the high enough level for society,” said Adam Lovell, Chase’s adoptive father.
The bracelet stayed with Chase, a reminder of the miles behind him and everything he’s still chasing. His name, “Chase,” wasn’t chosen by accident.
“We kept his Chinese name, Tao Tao, as his middle name, but ‘Chase’? I told him I think God wants us to chase after him,” said Miranda Lovell, his mother.
Chase’s adoption was not simple. His family initially planned to adopt a 5 to 7-year-old, but Chase was 11. A previous adoption had fallen through, and he was months away from aging out of the system. But the Lovells refused to give up.
“We really had to advocate and say we want him. I wrote more words to China than I ever have, telling them I’m a speech pathologist, we have resources, therapies — we can give him everything he needs,” Miranda Lovell said.
Approved in late 2019, Chase arrived home in January 2020, just days before flights shut down worldwide.
“He jumped on in our family and hadn’t skipped a beat,” Miranda said.
In China, Chase had little access to education.
“Without education, you cannot really do much,” he said.
But at Oak Mountain High School, he thrives in math, in the classroom, and on the track.
One teacher recalls, “I met Chase about two years ago. One day, I was erasing math problems off the board, and Chase walked over asking about them — a lot of the problems were AP pre-calculus and AP calculus.”
Chase said, “I can do 12th-grade math pretty good.”
On the track, nothing keeps him down. When he fell during a race, the crowd held its breath — but he popped back up and finished strong. His determination earned him the Chase Lovell Award.
“He does have some limitations, but you don’t see them on the track. A lot of teams recognize who he is and so when he goes to meets, it’s a lot of, ‘Chase! Chase! Chase!’” said his coach.
Once told that “family isn’t for you,” Chase now waves to one in the bleachers. With a bracelet in hand, a finish line ahead, and a life he’s still quite literally chasing, his story is far from over.
