Football
Fabilia and Doug LeColst 17y

Stephan and Big Papi

What an exciting day this was for Stephan. But as exciting as it was for him, it was also overwhelming for us to see him so excited and happy.

The Red Sox and David Ortiz went completely out of their way to make our son feel like he won the World Series. They took him on a tour of the locker room and the Green Monster and he met so any players and coaches. Everyone made it a point to come and share this special day with him including Theo Epstein, Julio Lugo, Jonathan Papelbon, Josh Beckett, Terry Francona and so many more. They made our son feel like a million bucks and to this day he still grins from ear to ear when he thinks about it or talks about the day.

Two moments truly stick out for us though. The first is when Stephan was able to go into the locker room and see a locker with his name on it and with a uniform in it for him. That was an unbelievable moment for us as parents and for him as a young fan.

Who wouldn't want to walk into the locker room of their favorite team with their idol by their side and see a uniform that is for them hung up in a locker? And what parent wouldn't want to be right there to see their child's eyes light up when they see it?

The second moment is the one that made us more than a little misty. It was when Stephan and David walked onto the field and over to the Green Monster. What an amazing moment that was to see him walking up to this iconic piece of baseball history that he'd seen so many times on TV with his hero by his side. Stephan was insistent on Big Papi as his wish and it was at that moment that everything really hit us. Our little boy was having his wish granted!


We are incredibly grateful to the Make-A-Wish organization, ESPN, the Red Sox organization and of course David Ortiz for their amazing work. It's great watching a guy like Ortiz on the field doing his job with incredible passion. But it's even better when you see him off the field harnessing that passion to help a little boy have a great day and a lifelong memory. He will always be our MVP.

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