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One six year old boy celebrated his birthday in ways very few children would get to enjoy. Danny Nickerson had a special birthday card created by the New England Patriots team inside the Gillette NFL Stadium, which was broadcast on the jumbotron inside the stadium.
Danny’s sixth birthday was a bittersweet event for the family. Only a few months after his fifth birthday, Danny was diagnosed with a brain tumour that was determined to be inoperable, significantly reducing the boy’s lifetime. Doctors are seeking alternative options to potentially reduce the size of the tumour, which may include a donated sample of umbilical cord blood.
But the tumour was the last thing on the minds of Danny, his family, or the community on July 25. Danny told his mom that all he wanted for his birthday was best wishes and get well cards from people in town.
His parents then posted Danny’s story on social media along with his request for get well cards. The story touched thousands of people across the country as well as in Canada and elsewhere. On his birthday, Danny received more mail from supporters than the entire combined community of Foxboro Massachusetts.
Foxboro is also home to the New England Patriots, and the team was touched by Danny’s story. They organized a special birthday party during the Patriots’ practice on Danny’s birthday, and the six year old was invited out to the field by CEO Robert Kraft.
Together, Danny and Kraft walked out to the field and the boy was handed a special birthday card signed by head coach Bill Belichick and the entire New England team. The team also gave Danny a gift bag of Patriots themed LEGO – Danny spent part of his birthday at LEGOLAND – as well as a signed team jersey.
Danny’s father Daniel Jamieson could barely describe how much the experience meant to their family.
“Seeing Danny smile so much has been amazing. Everything Mr. Kraft and the Kraft family have done to help out my family and show support for my son is incredible.”