Yes Virginiathere really is a Santa Claus
Last January, I took my 10-year-old son Ben to Fan Fest at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. Being a huge football fan, Id been trying to get my son into football for a long time. He preferred trains.
The only player I could convince him to stand in line to see was Donald Driver, wide receiver for the Packers. So, we stood in line for 2 hours to get his signature on a football. The security officers were rushing people through pretty quickly and were not allowing any posing for pictures.
So when it was finally our turn, I told Ben that he couldnt ask Mr. Driver a lot of questions.
Well he did anyway.
Donald Driver was so nice to Ben and answered all of his questions. He waived off the security guards and let Ben go on and on. He stood up and took a picture with Ben and shook his hand. That made such an impact on Ben. He felt so good and so important that from that day on, he was all about football!
As soon as we got home, he went right to the Internet and started reading about Donald Driver and the Packers.
Since that day, a lot has changed for Ben. He has become obsessed with football. He knows the final score for every Packer game AND who scored on what drive! He knows all of the NFC North team schedules, records, and which players were injured each week! He even started playing flag football during recess WITH OTHER KIDS!! Hes not pacing on the playground or boring the teachers with his knowledge about trains and cars. The other kids seek him out when they talk about football which is a hot topic for 10-year-old boys.
He is actually starting to make some friends.
The first thing he wanted for Christmas this year was a Donald Driver jersey. I bought him one a few months before Christmas and put it away. I found out that Mr. Driver was going to be down by Madison a few weeks later, so I bought a ticket to the event.
The day finally came so I took off early from work, and with the jersey in hand, I stood in line to get my chance to meet the man that made such a difference in my sons life. When I finally got my turn, Mr. Driver asked if the jersey was for me. I told him no, that it was for my 10-year-old son. I started to tell him about when he and Ben met at Fan Fest.
Donald Driver
I explained that Ben has autism and his special interest used to be trains and the newest models of minivans. That was before he met Donald Driver. I told Mr. Driver that since that day, Ben has become obsessed with football and the Packers. I told him that we nick-named Ben Sportscenter and Mr. Driver started to laugh. I described how much closer our family has become now that we all have a common interest.
When I started to thank Mr. Driver for making such a difference in my sons life, I started to cry.and so did he.
He thanked me for telling him about Ben. He said that hes always telling the other players to take some time with kids because it really can make a difference.
I didnt have a camera with me because I had just come from work but the couple behind me in line took some pictures and offered to email them to me. When I told Mr. Driver that Ben wouldnt believe that Donald Driver really signed the jersey, he suggested I come behind the table so we could hold up the jersey together. That way I would have proof that Bens favorite player really did sign it just for him.
He signed the jersey, To Ben my # 1 Fan Donald Driver GO PACK GO!
The Proof
On Christmas eve, Ben was having a really hard time.too many people, too much noise, too long at mass. I saved his jersey for last, after he complained about every other gift he opened. When he opened the box, he was speechless, which is a rarity for my son. He held up the jersey and just stared at it. I told him to turn it over and he saw the signature and his own name. Just as I predicted, he looked at me and said No way!
No way !!
I told him to look in the box and there he found the photo of me and Donald Driver holding up the jersey. I cannot begin to describe the look on my childs face. a face that rarely shows emotion. He looked like he wanted to cry, scream and laugh at the same time. It was magical.
I got 2 tickets to the Packers/Lions game the Sunday after Christmas so my wonderful son and I could go show off his jersey and cheer for his favorite player. As luck would have it, Donald Driver ran 70 yards for a touch down! Ben was so excited, it was priceless.
Living Large at Lambeau
Yes Virginiathere is a Santa Claus.
Now that folks, is a GREAT story.