ESPN grants a wish!

While I was deciding what to blog about this week I happened to come across a story that I couldn't have found at a more perfect time.

As we all know the super bowl is coming up in just a few days so while we anticipate the game between the Packers and Steelers, make bets, and trash talk the other team I thought it might not be such a bad idea for all of us to hear this story.

Anna Schmidt, a 13-year-old from Horicon, Wisconsin, has a love for football, especially the Green Bay Packers. However, her regular football watching Sunday afternoons came to a halt after a trip to the doctor. Anna had been experiencing stomach aches and a cough that she couldn’t seem to get rid of. At first, both her parents and doctors thought it might just be asthma or possibly acid buildup. However, not long after a few tests were taken, Anna’s life took a dramatic turn. She was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, she had a heart that was big in size but small in function. Anna’s heart was quickly failing so her options on treatment were limited. She was first placed on medicine, the medicine began to work wonders but she was only able to take it for so long before it would cause other complications in her body so they needed another plan.

It wasn’t long before doctors realized Anna needed a heart transplant. She was placed on the transplant list but while waiting for a donor her heart was continually failing. After undergoing a 17 hour surgery they inserted an artificial heart in Anna until a donor could be found. The artificial heart was keeping her alive but not by much. She had been experiencing blood clots and strokes from the pump, so doctors were changing out the pump once a week, which is a dangerous procedure. And just when the Schmidts thought things couldn’t get any worse, a CT scan showed a hemorrhage in Anna’s brain. The Schmidts were doing their best to keep their hopes up high but things were not looking good.

A few weeks later things started looking up when the Schmidts received a call from the doctors saying they found Anna a transplant. Within 48 hours of the surgery Anna was feeling like a normal 13-year-old again.

Anna checking out her new locker

What she didn’t see coming though was her wish being granted by the Make-A-Wish Foundation. While Anna was undergoing all these procedures the Make-A-Wish Foundation asked her if she could wish for anything what would it be? Anna’s one wish was to meet the players on the Green Bay Packers, especially her favorites, Al Harris and Aaron Rodgers. Much to her surprise Al Harris and Aaron Rodgers sent Anna a video asking her and her family to join them at a practice. Anna and her family were picked up by a limo and taken Lambeau Field. When she walked onto the field, Packers fans were lined up cheering to support her. She even had a personalized Packers locker and uniform custom made right next to the qaurterbacks, Aaron Rodgers, locker. Mike McCarthy, the Packers head coach, introduced Anna to each player and let her close the practice with a “break!”

Anna’s day with the Packers was something that she will remember forever, she could not have been happier on that day! I’m assuming this weekend she’ll be cheering them on!

Go Packers.

To see Anna's story check out this link: Anna's Wish Video