Last week, I was floored by kindness. The Chi Omega sorority put on its annual Wish Week. During this week, the sorority partners with the Make-A-Wish foundation to grant the wish of a child diagnosed with a life-threatening medical condition. This year, the beneficiary was a young boy named Hunter Rogers. Hunter is from Louisville, Mississippi, and at the age of three, he was diagnosed with acute lymphatic leukemia. I was nothing more than an observer of events during the last week, but what I witnessed was nothing short of extraordinary.
During a week with so many moving parts, it’s easy to get distracted by all of the work poured into putting on a successful event. The lights and stage in Humphrey Coliseum and the performances by each organization that participated in Limelight was an impressive display of coordination and planning, but I became increasingly aware this was not the central goal of the week. The more I began to focus on the why — granting Hunter’s wish to go to Disney World — the more Hunter inspired me. The more I looked at the deeper story, the more humbled I became.
Hunter, who is now five, identifies his hero as one of our fellow students, Dak Prescott. Anyone who steps foot on our campus knows what kind of year Dak is having on the field, and it is nothing short of incredible. It would not be out of the ordinary for anyone in Dak’s situation, being centered squarely in the spotlight, to hear all of the praise and let that creep into his head and lead to total self-absorption. Just look around to all of the other stories driving the sports world right now. Between Ray Rice and domestic violence or the weekly Jameis Winston gaffe, it is hard to find a positive story getting coverage as of late.
This particular story shows there are people whose character runs deep enough not to be swayed by the bombardment of praise from ESPN commentators.
Last Thursday, Dak and several other players from the team spent their afternoon investing in a boy who has endured more pain and hardship than I can imagine. The sheer joy expressed in the photos from that afternoon revealed how inspirational the deeper narrative can be. What an awe-inspiring story to see a national figure, who receives admiration from nearly every observer of college football on a daily basis, devote time to a young boy who wholly demonstrates what it means to fight. Hunter spent Christmas and his fourth birthday in the hospital — Dak lost his mother last year to her year-and-a-half long battle with cancer at the age of 52. Dak and Hunter are two individuals in two completely different walks of life, but have a unique and equally heartbreaking connection that creates something that transcends merely the game of football. This connection is more profound. Hunter’s smile and Dak’s reciprocation is something that goes deeper than sports. It stirs emotions and makes one take a step back and appreciate the significance of life and join in support of those battling for theirs. There is no doubt in my mind the legacy of Dak’s mother, Peggy, is exemplified in his compassionate embrace of a boy who has experienced more trials than the vast majority of the population can empathize.
This is special, and we get to witness it. Find the deeper story.
