Oklahoma_Packer
Cheesehead
I saw this on Packers.com, and didn't see anyone else talking about it, and I thought it was really cool.
On a gloomy and rainy afternoon, 10-year-old Colton Brandenberg's smile lit up the inside of a limousine at Best Buy when Packers' fullback John Kuhn opened the door. His one wish was to spend a night shopping and dining with his favorite Packers player, and it came true on Monday.
With assistance from Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Green Bay Packers' community outreach department, young Colton spent 90 minutes inside Best Buy shopping for his favorite video games and CDs, among other items, before enjoying a meal at the nearby Texas Roadhouse. Kuhn also presented Colton with a bag of Packers related autographed items.
"It was awesome," Colton said after shopping with the five-year NFL veteran.
Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Packers have been working together for nearly 30 years, fulfilling the wishes of children faced with life-threatening illnesses. It is not uncommon for a child to spend time with a Packers' player or coach at training camp, during practice or in the team dining room eating a meal.
When Colton found out that he medically qualified for a wish through Make-A-Wish Foundation of Wisconsin, his first thought was, "I want to go shopping with my friend John." The two had struck a relationship at the Packers' Welcome Back Luncheon last year.
"It's really awesome," Kuhn said. "It's really an honor. I have met Colton before and I knew exactly what they [Make-A-Wish and Packers] were talking about when they asked me to surprise Colton and take him around for a shopping spree. I just want to truly express, and I don't think he understands, how much it really means to me to fulfill his wish."
Kuhn added the cherry on top of Colton's dessert after eating dinner, when he asked Colton and his family to attend the Edgar Bennett Celebrity Bowl-A-Thon Wednesday night, an invitation they graciously accepted. Kuhn also invited Colton and his family to a preseason game, including a tour and on-field passes.
Colton has been battling leukemia for over three years and is currently in the remission stage of the cancer. According to his parents, they still go every month for checkups at St. Vincent Hospital in Green Bay and have a weekly visit with the local clinic in Chilton, Wis., where the family resides.
"It means a lot to Colton," said Sarah, Colton's mother. "It is amazing. We are very thankful that he is here. Colton was stoked and that means a lot. He doesn't have a lot of joy some days and you do what you can as parents to make him as happy as possible and provide him with experiences, especially knowing the 'what ifs.' Just to see him happy, it makes us extremely excited."
Leukemia is a malignant disease of the bone marrow and blood, which is caused by an abnormal increase of blood cells. There are four different variations of leukemia, and in 2009 nearly 140,000 people in the United States were diagnosed. Generally, survivors receive radiation and chemotherapy treatments, sometimes on a daily or weekly basis.
"There are always the 'what ifs', but we are hoping that in March he is done," Sarah said. "Resilient is the word I use most often. He has had a positive attitude and that makes some of the treatments really easy. He hasn't taken the opportunity to feel sorry for himself and that has been wonderful."
On a gloomy and rainy afternoon, 10-year-old Colton Brandenberg's smile lit up the inside of a limousine at Best Buy when Packers' fullback John Kuhn opened the door. His one wish was to spend a night shopping and dining with his favorite Packers player, and it came true on Monday.
With assistance from Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Green Bay Packers' community outreach department, young Colton spent 90 minutes inside Best Buy shopping for his favorite video games and CDs, among other items, before enjoying a meal at the nearby Texas Roadhouse. Kuhn also presented Colton with a bag of Packers related autographed items.
"It was awesome," Colton said after shopping with the five-year NFL veteran.
Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Packers have been working together for nearly 30 years, fulfilling the wishes of children faced with life-threatening illnesses. It is not uncommon for a child to spend time with a Packers' player or coach at training camp, during practice or in the team dining room eating a meal.
When Colton found out that he medically qualified for a wish through Make-A-Wish Foundation of Wisconsin, his first thought was, "I want to go shopping with my friend John." The two had struck a relationship at the Packers' Welcome Back Luncheon last year.
"It's really awesome," Kuhn said. "It's really an honor. I have met Colton before and I knew exactly what they [Make-A-Wish and Packers] were talking about when they asked me to surprise Colton and take him around for a shopping spree. I just want to truly express, and I don't think he understands, how much it really means to me to fulfill his wish."
Kuhn added the cherry on top of Colton's dessert after eating dinner, when he asked Colton and his family to attend the Edgar Bennett Celebrity Bowl-A-Thon Wednesday night, an invitation they graciously accepted. Kuhn also invited Colton and his family to a preseason game, including a tour and on-field passes.
Colton has been battling leukemia for over three years and is currently in the remission stage of the cancer. According to his parents, they still go every month for checkups at St. Vincent Hospital in Green Bay and have a weekly visit with the local clinic in Chilton, Wis., where the family resides.
"It means a lot to Colton," said Sarah, Colton's mother. "It is amazing. We are very thankful that he is here. Colton was stoked and that means a lot. He doesn't have a lot of joy some days and you do what you can as parents to make him as happy as possible and provide him with experiences, especially knowing the 'what ifs.' Just to see him happy, it makes us extremely excited."
Leukemia is a malignant disease of the bone marrow and blood, which is caused by an abnormal increase of blood cells. There are four different variations of leukemia, and in 2009 nearly 140,000 people in the United States were diagnosed. Generally, survivors receive radiation and chemotherapy treatments, sometimes on a daily or weekly basis.
"There are always the 'what ifs', but we are hoping that in March he is done," Sarah said. "Resilient is the word I use most often. He has had a positive attitude and that makes some of the treatments really easy. He hasn't taken the opportunity to feel sorry for himself and that has been wonderful."
