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This story made my day! I.m a Packers fan but gotta give it up to Teddy and the Patriots!!
Bruschi, Pats make ailing boy's dreams come true
July 5, 2006
Boston Herald
The New England Patriots and football hero Tedy Bruschi rolled out the Gillette Stadium red carpet -- and the inflatable football helmet, too -- for a 6-year-old boy with a life-threatening heart condition -- and made little Andrew Geracoulis' pigskin wish come true.
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Andrew, who suffers from hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a condition where the left side of the heart is underdeveloped, asked the Make-A-Wish Foundation to get him some face time with his hero, Bruschi.
"Tedy's my favorite player," Andrew told the Track. "Because he had a heart surgery like me."
Andrew's had three heart operations in his short life -- at 5 weeks, 6 months and 18 months -- and may eventually need a heart transplant.
Tedy, who has three young sons of his own, had surgery last year to repair a hole in his heart that was presumed to be the cause of the stroke he suffered in 2005.
"I can imagine it would give him hope a little bit," Bruschi said."Here I am a professional football player and sort of had a circumstance with my heart also. A lot of people can relate to me. .. and look to me and sort of say, 'Hey if he's doing OK, and he's playing professional football, I think I can live a normal life.' That makes me proud. It makes me really proud."
No. 54 spent more than an hour with Andrew, his parents Cynthia and Steve, a Marine helicopter pilot, and Andrew's little sister, Anna, 4. Tedy took the family on a tour of the stadium starting in the room where the three Vince Lombardi trophies live.
"Put your hand on there and leave your fingerprints on them so we'll know you were here," Bruschi told Andrew.
Then he took his little guest down to the visitors' locker room where there was a locker with Andrew's name on it contained a Pats uniform complete with shoulder pads and cleats. After Andrew suited up, Tedy took him through the pregame ritual ('We like to bang on each other's pads like this,' he said, tapping Andrew's humongous shoulders.)
Then Bruschi and his new best friend went down the tunnel to the field where the Pats had set up the inflatable football helmet the team runs through at the beginning of every home game. According to protocol, Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train" was blaring from the sound system and announcer John Rooke introduced "Andrew Geracoulis of yooooooour New England Patriots!"
Andrew and Tedy ran out onto the field - the 6-year-old grinning from ear to ear - and threw the football around until the rookie "scored" the winning touchdown. After that, like every hero of every home game, they took Andrew down to the media room for a "press conference."
Andrew's sister, Anna, not to be outdone, was suited up in a cheerleader uniform and got some tips from head rah-rah girl Tracy Sormanti.
"This is so awesome," said Andrew's mom, who was sobbing tears of joy through most of the afternoon. "When we first started out and we didn't know if he would make it I never would have imagined that we would get to the point where life was so enjoyable and so special. This is great."
The Geracoulises live in Virginia, where dad Steve is stationed. But the Marine chopper pilot is a Melrose native who taught his son early in life to love the Patriots.
"I like them because they won three Super Bowls," said Andrew, who can rattle off the scores of all three Super victories.
Steve said he could think of no way to ever repay Bruschi and the Pats for the kindness they showed to his son, but Tedy said he's the one who feels honored to have been asked.
"This isn't something that is a burden on me or is taking up part of my time," he said. "It's something that I'm proud to do and I'm very fortunate to be able to bring some joy to a young man like that and it's something that I will remember myself just as much as he will."
Bruschi, Pats make ailing boy's dreams come true
July 5, 2006
Boston Herald
The New England Patriots and football hero Tedy Bruschi rolled out the Gillette Stadium red carpet -- and the inflatable football helmet, too -- for a 6-year-old boy with a life-threatening heart condition -- and made little Andrew Geracoulis' pigskin wish come true.
Advertisement
Andrew, who suffers from hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a condition where the left side of the heart is underdeveloped, asked the Make-A-Wish Foundation to get him some face time with his hero, Bruschi.
"Tedy's my favorite player," Andrew told the Track. "Because he had a heart surgery like me."
Andrew's had three heart operations in his short life -- at 5 weeks, 6 months and 18 months -- and may eventually need a heart transplant.
Tedy, who has three young sons of his own, had surgery last year to repair a hole in his heart that was presumed to be the cause of the stroke he suffered in 2005.
"I can imagine it would give him hope a little bit," Bruschi said."Here I am a professional football player and sort of had a circumstance with my heart also. A lot of people can relate to me. .. and look to me and sort of say, 'Hey if he's doing OK, and he's playing professional football, I think I can live a normal life.' That makes me proud. It makes me really proud."
No. 54 spent more than an hour with Andrew, his parents Cynthia and Steve, a Marine helicopter pilot, and Andrew's little sister, Anna, 4. Tedy took the family on a tour of the stadium starting in the room where the three Vince Lombardi trophies live.
"Put your hand on there and leave your fingerprints on them so we'll know you were here," Bruschi told Andrew.
Then he took his little guest down to the visitors' locker room where there was a locker with Andrew's name on it contained a Pats uniform complete with shoulder pads and cleats. After Andrew suited up, Tedy took him through the pregame ritual ('We like to bang on each other's pads like this,' he said, tapping Andrew's humongous shoulders.)
Then Bruschi and his new best friend went down the tunnel to the field where the Pats had set up the inflatable football helmet the team runs through at the beginning of every home game. According to protocol, Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train" was blaring from the sound system and announcer John Rooke introduced "Andrew Geracoulis of yooooooour New England Patriots!"
Andrew and Tedy ran out onto the field - the 6-year-old grinning from ear to ear - and threw the football around until the rookie "scored" the winning touchdown. After that, like every hero of every home game, they took Andrew down to the media room for a "press conference."
Andrew's sister, Anna, not to be outdone, was suited up in a cheerleader uniform and got some tips from head rah-rah girl Tracy Sormanti.
"This is so awesome," said Andrew's mom, who was sobbing tears of joy through most of the afternoon. "When we first started out and we didn't know if he would make it I never would have imagined that we would get to the point where life was so enjoyable and so special. This is great."
The Geracoulises live in Virginia, where dad Steve is stationed. But the Marine chopper pilot is a Melrose native who taught his son early in life to love the Patriots.
"I like them because they won three Super Bowls," said Andrew, who can rattle off the scores of all three Super victories.
Steve said he could think of no way to ever repay Bruschi and the Pats for the kindness they showed to his son, but Tedy said he's the one who feels honored to have been asked.
"This isn't something that is a burden on me or is taking up part of my time," he said. "It's something that I'm proud to do and I'm very fortunate to be able to bring some joy to a young man like that and it's something that I will remember myself just as much as he will."
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