Lily Spratt had never been to a football game before. Neither had Austin Jones or their friend Nathaniel.
Just before kickoff against UNLV, the kids were roaming the sidelines of the Rose Bowl next to the UCLA bench, watching the team warm up. All three were decked in Bruin blue and gold, their hats and shirts autographed by players they met earlier in the day, enormous grins on their faces.
For their parents and grandparents, it was a welcome sight.
All three kids came to the Rose Bowl as part of the Special Spectators program, a nonprofit organization which has brought over 8,000 seriously ill children and their families to VIP sporting events for almost 15 years.
Founder Blake Rockwell started the program in 2002 after volunteering with children at the Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago, shortly after graduating from Albion College in Michigan.
There, families faced mounting medical bills, strenuous treatment and overwhelming uncertainty as their children battled leukemia, organ failure and other life-threatening diseases.
Watching them and their loved ones struggle in the hospital day in and day out took a toll on Rockwell and he decided to ease their burden in any way he could.
Rockwell, a passionate sports fan, connected with the patients over their mutual love of basketball and football. After learning that many of the bedridden kids had never stepped foot inside a football stadium or a basketball arena, he crafted a way for them to forget about their pain and enjoy a day as a fan away from the hospital.
“That was just silly to me (that they’d never been to a game).” Rockwell said. “We could get them tickets to a game. And not just take them to a game, but make them a part of it – take them down to the locker room, welcome players, go down onto the field.”
For Lily’s grandmother, April White, Saturday was much more than a tailgate and a football game.
It was an emotional celebration.
Her granddaughter had finished her final chemotherapy treatment for leukemia, a cancer that affects the white blood cells. According to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 98 percent of children who are diagnosed and treated for leukemia go into remission within weeks of hospital care.
But the survival rates did little to ease the despair and fears that came with the diagnosis.
Lily was just a first-grader when she began getting sick.
The then-6 year old had to leave her classmates almost two and a half years ago for treatment at Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA.
Now a fourth-grader, she’s in remission and and healthy, eager to return to school and play with her friends. The colorfully dressed nine-year old ran along the field with her brother Owen, soaking in her first game.
The treatment and care from the UCLA hospital not only converted White and the Spratt family into “die-hard Bruin fans” but together with Special Spectators introduced them to a close-knit – and critical – support system.
Few families can truly empathize with what the Spratts have gone through over the last two years.
Ben Jones, a Washington native, never imagined his son Austin would need a kidney transplant in 2011 as a toddler. Even with the initial transplant, the problems weren’t over.
An E. coli infection compromised Austin’s immune system, leading to multiple organ failures, heart problems and a lower white blood cell count before his fifth birthday.
Austin walked around with the UCLA players before the game, collecting signatures for his little blue hat, and later cheered them on as they walked by him into their locker room.
For the budding football fan, nothing could top trying on the too-large UCLA football helmet in the bright locker room.
He was every bit the 9-year-old his parents had hoped he could grow up to be.
But underneath the smiles, giggles and muddy hands were lingering fears and trauma. The physical ailments Austin endured gave way to emotional and mental damage.
It’s not so bad during the day when he’s surrounded by his parents and younger sister Emma.
At night, just before he sleeps, the what-ifs, anguishing pain and memories of the countless treatments come flooding back to the otherwise happy-go-lucky boy.
Every two weeks, Jones said Austin returns to Mattel Children’s Hospital not only for an overall check-up but also for group therapy and counseling for his post-traumatic stress disorder. The family logs hundreds of miles for support camps such as kidney week at The Painted Turtle camp hosted by Paul Newman’s foundation to show Austin that he’s not alone.
On Saturday, Austin was just one of nine patients and families UCLA football hosted at the Rose Bowl.
Rockwell reached out to the football office and coordinated with Roman Phifer, the team’s director of football player personnel and high school relations, to put together a memorable day for the patients.
“What they do is awesome – looking out for kids and their families. But I also believe in giving back,” Phifer said. “That’s my job here at UCLA – to help the community, and this was just a way to do both.”
Phifer, the game’s honorary captain and a former All-American linebacker for the Bruins, got tickets and field passes for the team and arranged for some of the players to visit the tailgate.
As the 31st pick in the 1994 NFL draft filmed the kids high-fiving sophomore quarterback Josh Rosen and senior defensive lineman Deon Hollins, he thought about his own family – on and off the gridiron.
A father to a 5-year-old daughter, Phifer understands how these parents feel – struggling to do anything possible to ease their suffering.
He also thought about the young men he mentors on the team, who had the chance to compete on the football field everyday.
“The guys do work hard, but when you meet kids that have to deal with adversity and sickness at such a young age, it puts things in perspective.” Phifer said. “Not only are you able to go out and play this sport, but you have a platform to make a difference in the community. So why not take advantage of it?”
Michael Mapes, Dymond Lee, Justin Saleh, Marcus Moore and Trae Smith were some of the other football players who spent hours with Special Spectators team before taking the field with their teammates.
Eight players handed out UCLA souvenirs to the kids, taught them how to throw the perfect spiral and posed for dozens of photos as cameras clicked away.
Lily, Austin and their friends ran back from the nearby bounce house to grab autographs from Mapes. The freshman linebacker said being around groups like Special Spectators taught him to appreciate the little things – being able to attend UCLA, staying healthy enough to play football.
“It’s always fun to do this with your team. This is a great unit of guys, great group of kids.” Mapes said. “It’s always a blessing to be able to do what we do for them.”
Saturday ended with a 42-21 win for the Bruins over the Running Rebels with the Special Spectators crew hollering from the stands.
But for Rockwell, Phifer and Mapes, it was already a win when Lily and Austin gave them ear-to-ear grins.