From Aaron Rodgers to Sam

When Sam was a little boy, he wore Green Bay Packers T-shirts, had a Packers bedspread and loved the great Brett Favre. His loyalty to the Packers has never wavered, and when Aaron Rodgers took the helm as the Packers’ quarterback, Sam became his biggest fan. 

When Sam was assaulted, the Packers Nation stood behind him in full force. And, the Packers organization responded with a gift package just for him, something they rarely do. My friends, and Packers fans, tweeted to Aaron Rodgers and the Packers organization over and over again to tell Sam’s story. The Green Bay Packers organization told several of my close friends who called them that they had NEVER BEFORE had so many people contact them on behalf of one person. That’s an amazing thing to hear, and we knew then that there are no friends like ours or fans like the Packers Nation. 

But something else was happening that we did not know about, until just his past week. There’s a young man named Eric Sterner, who lives in Portland and works for Adidas, who knew of Sam’s story and wanted to do something for him. Adidas has a relationship with Aaron Rodgers, who has been under contract to them since 2015. 

Neither Adidas nor Eric were looking for anything from Sam; they simply wanted to do a good deed. They wanted to give something to a young man who loves football and poetry, and who they knew to be Aaron Rodgers’ biggest fan. And Eric could do something because he knows Aaron, and he did a very selfless thing, asking nothing from us. Eric shared Sam’s story with Aaron, and Aaron was touched by it so he left a gift for Sam with Eric. 

A personal message from Aaron.

 To get the gift to Sam, Eric reached out to me through GoFundMe, and at first, I wasn’t even sure it was real. My friend Trey and I did a little research, and we were confident that Eric was legitimate. I asked Eric for his phone number so Sam could contact him, and he gave it to me, and Sam contacted him. He invited Sam to visit him at his office, which Sam and Bridget did, and Eric gave Sam what is the gift of a lifetime … a football signed with a personal note for Sam from Aaron Rodgers. The note says, “Sam, Hope you’re continuing to feel better! Keep wearing the Green and Gold proudly! Aaron Rodgers, 12.

How wonderful is that. It’s just so sweet. I can’t even find the right words. We have just had a very happy, grateful week. 

Bridget, Sam and the gift from Aaron Rodgers.

Bridget and Sam were in shock, but so very grateful to Eric, Adidas and Aaron Rodgers. Sam told me that Eric was the real deal, a great guy, and that he has offered his assistance in other ways to Sam and Bridget. When Sam left the Adidas store, he FaceTimed me immediately so he could show me his new treasure. And the second thing he wanted to do was have me share this gift with the Packers Nation faithful and the GoFundMe supporters, because we believe this would never have happened if his story hadn’t been shared over and over again. 

FaceTiming the news to mom.

Thank you to everyone for all you have done for Sam, Bridget and our family. Thank you for the prayers and the good thoughts. We will continue to keep our GoFundMe supporters and the Packers Nation updated on Sam’s progress. We are so thankful, and we feel the love everyday that you continue to show us. And, thank you Eric, thank you Adidas, and thank you Aaron Rodgers! Go Packers!

(And, to update everyone on Sam’s health, he’s doing very well and taking medication for his TBI-related seizures. He’s not driving yet, but he is going back to school this September and is looking for a part-time job, nothing too hectic (because of occasional headaches and dizziness), but something to keep him busy. He’s getting back to his normal, beautiful life with Bridget in Portland.)