Superbowl Bound
Tom and I have literally waited all our lives for Sunday’s Chiefs game against the New England Patriots. It is the first time our beloved Chiefs have ever hosted an AFC Championship game and the first time in 25 years they’ve made it this far in the playoffs. There’s just one problem.
The forecast for Kansas City on Sunday, January 20 is clear and frigid. Highs around 15. Lows around 6 Wind chill readings 10 to 15 below!
Our love affair with the Chiefs is a long one and has broken our hearts too many times to count. But yet we have never lost hope and Matt and Madison are now third generation Chiefs fans.
When Matt was diagnosed with leukemia on February 27, 2017, the KC Chiefs became a huge part of his recovery. We, and the entire world, had been inspired by Chiefs Safety Eric Berry’s battle and recovery from Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Tom even wrote the same words on Matt’s board at the hospital that Eric Berry’s father had written at their home, where he recovered. “As you enter this house, please leave your sadness and uncertainty outside the door. If you have fear, and anxiety, throw them away. Positive energy only!”
Matt spent his 19th birthday in the hospital getting his second six-day cycle of chemo. Already frail and ravaged by the first round of treatment, Matt’s spirits were lifted when he received a handwritten card from the Chiefs CFO Dan Crumb telling him a happy birthday and that he was praying for him. He had heard about Matt’s illness from a friend and learned that Matt was a huge fan and wanted to give him a special gift. Tears streamed down Matt’s face - and ours - as he opened an autographed Eric Berry jersey.
Fast forward a few months and our wise friend and counselor told us Matt needed something to look forward to, something to fight for and get him out of bed. Knowing his passion for the Chiefs, she suggested we explore tickets to a game or two. Tom wasn’t satisfied with one or two games, and before I knew it, we had season tickets. I didn’t complain once. I don’t know what they cost and I don’t want to know. Because the reality is that when your kid is fighting for his life, you buy the tickets. You seize the opportunity to live and the infusion of HOPE to keep living.
Matt’s love of this football team got him out of bed, into our car and 118 miles down the road to our seats in section 115. Robbed of his health, security and a year of college and all the experiences that come with it, the Chiefs games were the ONLY thing on Matt’s calendar other than doctors appointments and hospital stays.
If those seats could talk, they would tell you that the sick boy and his heartbroken family healed in those seats. They would tell you Matt went from barely making it to the seat last season to barely sitting in it this season. They would tell you about the tears of joy that have been shed there, the long embraces and the countless “I love yous” that have been spoken.
And so no matter how miserable cold it is on Sunday, you will find us in section 115 doing what we do. People will call us crazy. Heck, by halftime I might agree with them. But win or lose, we will celebrate the victory of life and living it to the fullest. It is all a gift.
GO CHIEFS!