Those who know me well know that I am a die-hard New England Patriots fan. That being said, you can only imagine my reaction to the final score of Super Bowl LII… It was not pretty! While most Penn State students cried tears of joy at the end of the second half, I cried your typical tears. I obviously was down in the dumps the rest of Sunday night. However, I was back on my feet the following day with the thought of THON! I had never been truly invested in the student-run philanthropy until this year in which the organization CHAARG joined the fight to defeat cancer. Our first THON child is three-year-old Whitney Gehman. You may have seen her in the Diamond Guide!
Our THON Family Relations Chair introduced Whitney to us during our weekly Thursday meeting. After reviewing the Dos and Don’ts of THON, she and our THON Chair brought up the Philadelphia Eagles. My initial reaction was to cringe at the mention of the new Super Bowl Champions; however, I quickly realized that what we were about to watch was not a clip of the Sunday Night football game. Instead, our THON Chair played a SC Feature on Carson Wentz entitled,“Carson Wentz, the Dutch Destroyer and a dream come true.” Eagles fan or not, this is an ESPN video that everyone ought to watch! The ten-minute short story explores the connection between the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback and Lukas Kusters – also known as “The Dutch Destroyer.”
“The Dutch Destroyer” passed away at ten years old at the hands of stomach cancer. However, this incredibly touching story – which you ought to watch – has resulted in people from all over the world buying the bracelet that Lukas Kusters presented to Carson Wentz on a Make-A-Wish-sponsored tour of the Philadelphia Eagles facility. According to ESPN Staff Writer Tim McManus, Kusters’ mother Rebecca Burmeff had sold over 31,000 bracelets by mid-November 2017. The money raised has since gone to organizations fighting pediatric cancer. I am proud that Penn State’s own THON is taking part in this fight – and that I am a Penn Stater.
After watching the YouTube video clip – and drying the tears from my eyes – I felt different about Super Bowl LII. Instead of anger, I felt a sense of peace in regards to the Philadelphia Eagles. Yes, the New England Patriots had lost its battle in becoming six-time Super Bowl Champions; however, the battle of beating childhood cancer is not over yet. Carson Wentz made Lukas Kusters’ wish come true less than two weeks before he passed away. The SC Featured video inspired me to give my all during the THON weekend! After the “loss” of Super Bowl LII, the video clip was the motivation that I needed to stay standing for hours on end in the Bryce Jordan Center “FTK,” for “the Dutch Destroyer” and for CHAARG’s first-ever THON child, Whitney Gehman.
Hi Stella,
Thank you for sharing! While I am sorry to hear that you are a Patriots fan, I am glad that you shared this video about Carson Wentz and the Dutch Destroyer.
As a diehard Eagles fan, I stumbled upon that video a few months back on ESPN. In my opinion, this video represents how sports can be much bigger than just a game. Professional athletes, like Wentz, are idolized by many and can choose how to wield their platform of fame.
In Wentz’s case, he demonstrates his class and compassion by not only honoring Lukas’ wish by meeting him but by supporting Lukas in his battle and wearing his support bracelet in his first ever NFL game, after Lukas had passed.
On the PLA trip to DC, we talked at length about the platform that is given to professional athletes in relation to the NFL and kneeling during the national anthem. While there were conflicting opinions, I have always been interested in the way that society elevates athletes as idols and the many different ways that players either meet, exceed, or fall short of these expectations.