FSU receiver brightens a mother’s day by having lunch with her son
Aug 31, 2016, 6:00 AM
Florida State wide receiver Travis Rudolph didn’t know he was doing anything out of the ordinary.
When the Seminoles were visiting a local middle school on Tuesday, he sat down to eat a few slices of pizza with a young boy who was sitting alone. Not a big deal to him, maybe.
It was to the mother of the boy. Leah Paske, whose son is autistic, caught wind of the meeting when her friend sent in a photo of her son dining with the FSU wideout. It meant more to her than Rudolph could have imagined.
When Laske saw the photo Tuesday, she didn’t know who Travis Rudolph was, but when her friend told her, she could only cry with joy. Even though her son isn’t bothered by eating lunch alone, it does often bother his mother, who posted a long message on Facebook about what Rudolphs act meant to her.
A friend of mine sent this beautiful picture to me today and when I saw it with the caption “Travis Rudolph is eating lunch with your son” I replied “who is that?” He said “FSU football player”, then I had tears streaming down my face.
…
I’m not sure what exactly made this incredibly kind man share a lunch table with my son, but I’m happy to say that it will not soon be forgotten. This is one day I didn’t have to worry if my sweet boy ate lunch alone, because he sat across from someone who is a hero in many eyes. Travis Rudolph thank you so much, you made this momma exceedingly happy, and have made us fans for life!
And when Rudolph found Laske’s Facebook post, he then realized the impact he had on the boy and his mother.
Just spoke with #FSU WR Travis Rudolph. He told me he read the mother's post before practice and that it nearly brought tears to his eyes.
— Kenny Morales (@KennyMoralesTV) August 30, 2016
Travis Rudolph: "He's a cool person, I'll hang out with him any day. And for the mom, if he needs my (cell) number, he can get it." #FSU
— Kenny Morales (@KennyMoralesTV) August 30, 2016
Here is Laske’s full Facebook post.