Panthers LB Kuechly surprises fan for her birthday
Dec 8, 2015, 12:41 PM | Updated: 2:58 pm
In this photo taken Aug. 28, 2015, Carolina Panthers' Luke Kuechly (59) stretches before a preseason NFL football game against the New England Patriots in Charlotte, N.C. A person familiar with the situation says Luke Kuechly has agreed to a five-year $52 million contract extention with the Panthers, making him the highest-paid middle linebacker in the NFL. The person spoke to The Associated Press on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015, on condition of anonymity because the move hasn't been announced. (AP Photo/Bob Leverone)
(AP Photo/Bob Leverone)
Just getting the chance to meet your favorite athlete would be an incredible birthday present for most sports fans.
But Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly took that wish one step further for Jessica Hayes.
The 21-year-old Panthers fan with cerebral palsy, autism and cortical blindness wanted nothing more for her birthday than to meet Kuechly, her favorite player, and give him a hug.
So when the Charlotte-based charity, Dream on 3 — an organization that helps grant local sports wishes to sick children — told him that and asked him if he would be her date for her 21st birthday party, Kuechly said yes without hesitation.
The night was captured on video by WBTV in Charlotte, when Kuechly said:
“I just like to think of myself as a normal guy,” Kuechly said. “But if I can go down there and make her happy for her birthday, makes it fun and worth it.”
