Taylor Deckard may have been hospitalized with a possible fatal heart condition this Christmas, but it didn’t prevent the ten-year-old from having his Christmas wish come true.
The boy’s hero is Cam Newton, whom he watched lead his Auburn Tigers to a national championship and a Heisman Trophy before he became NFL MVP with the Carolina Panthers. His only wish was to meet Cam. So, Cam flew to Atlanta Children’s Hospital to make it happen.
The kid’s reaction is one of disbelief, followed by pure love.
For Taylor Deckard, a 10yo boy battling a severe heart condition, his Christmas wish was to meet @CameronNewton. Today his wish came true. pic.twitter.com/1MNmpdNLk4
— Auburn Tigers (@AuburnTigers) December 28, 2016
Cam reportedly gave the kid athletic-apparel goodies and played with Nerf guns. It sounds like it was an amazing visit. Certainly an important one.
Deckard was diagnosed with advanced pulmonary hypertension three weeks ago. One of his teachers wrote a social media post following the diagnosis, saying his “prognosis is not good.” She hoped her post would reach Cam. It worked.
According to a Facebook post last week by his teacher at an Alabama elementary school, the boy’s “prognosis is not good.” In fact, that teacher, Courtney Cooper, was so concerned that Deckard might not “make it through” his scheduled stent procedure that she took to social media, asking people to “please pray for a miracle.”
Cooper also noted that Deckard is a big Newton fan, and she expressed hope that the quarterback could “give this precious little boy his wish” and come to his 11th birthday party in February. However, with time possibly running even shorter than that for Deckard, Newton reportedly chartered a flight to get to Atlanta by Tuesday.
Cam may not have led his Panthers to a playoff spot this year, but great job reminding us that it’s not always about what’s on the scoreboard.
Josh Helmuth is the editor of Crave Sports.
