WINCHESTER, Ky. (LEX 18) — There’s no place like home for the holidays, especially when you’ve had a year like the Svoboda family.

“It’s been an up and down road, it’s not been easy,” said Todd Svoboda.

BBN remembers Svoboda as the walk-on who played under Rick Pitino’s 1993 Final Four team.

Over the summer, LEX 18 met with Svoboda after he’d had his leg amputated following a years-long battle with cancer and a dangerous bout with MRSA.

A GoFundMeorganized by Svoboda’s friends garnered widespread attention from Big Blue Nation, and with the donations and continued support, Svoboda is walking on to 2025 with nothing but optimism.

“The Lord just worked through things and worked through people and made it happen,” said Svoboda.

The GoFundMe raised more than $44,000 to help fund accessibility improvements to Svoboda’s home, like a ramp to the front door.

“There’s enough you have to deal with when something like this happens and you’re not expecting it, and that GoFundMe has been a blessing to be able to take some of that burden away.”

The donations also secured Svoboda’s new lease on life – a prosthetic leg.

“It’s a microprocessor knee that allows you to do different modes,” explained Svoboda. “I can bike with it, walk with it, it kinda learns and you can adjust the resistance and things like that. It allows me to be active and to do a lot of those things.”

Walking tall at 6’ 9’’, Svoboda showcased his resilience at the Kentucky Colgate game in early December and joined in for the “K-E-N-T-U-C-K-Y” cheer.

“I walked out on the floor and got to do the “Y,” and it was an honor. It was really fun, and the crowd cheered, and to have most of my family there…it was really neat.”

In 2025, Svoboda told LEX 18 that he plans to continue working on using his prosthetic leg – improving walking and cycling so he can bike with his family.