San Francisco 49ers Make A Heartwarming Gesture for Young Fan
This month, the San Francisco 49ers aren’t playing any games. However, they are still winning, big time.
That’s because they did something incredible for someone who idolizes them.
Young fan Anthony Pineda, of San Bernardino, California, has been dealt with a lot in his short 14 years of life. Growing up without a real father figure, his mother, Desiree worked hard to provide for Anthony and his younger brother, Daniel.
A few years ago, her new boyfriend Robert began to spend every Sunday with Desiree and her boys. He shared his burning passion for the team in scarlet and gold. Anthony quickly picked up on the love for the team, and the rest was history.
Robert and Anthony spent each Sunday on the couch, screaming and hollering with both joy and dismay as the game unfolded. Young Anthony dressed in his favorite Patrick Willis jersey, and Robert in his lucky Michael Crabtree jersey, watched every game together. Anthony was able to call Robert not only a friend, but a true father figure; the likes of which he had never had before.
Soon tragedy struck, as Anthony was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, a cancer that can be fought with chemotherapy and other harsh drugs but is not easy to beat. Adding to the family’s stress, Robert fell ill and was also in the hospital with powerful flu-like symptoms.
Just as Anthony was told he had beaten cancer, Robert passed from his illness. Anthony was devastated.
While he had defeated his illness, Anthony lost his role model, and fellow 49ers faithful Robert. Make A Wish foundation reached out to Anthony and asked what his wish was. Anthony knew exactly what he and Robert would have both wanted.
Anthony asked to meet the San Francisco 49ers, his favorite team which reminded him of his favorite person. The team was completely on board with the idea, going above and beyond every step of the way. They even sent Anthony a special invitation to Santa Clara via a video message played in front of his entire middle school graduation. Anthony happily accepted.
Live Feed
Victory Bell Rings
ESPN produced a wonderful video capturing the day, with ESPN Senior Writer, Tom Friend, writing a great and detailed piece on Anthony’s battle. When he arrived at Levi’s Stadium, he got the full NFL player treatment. He ate breakfast with the team, was fitted for equipment, signed a contact, and practiced on the field with the team. Vernon Davis and Anthony even shared a game of catch afterwards that lasted over half an hour.
Wrapping up Anthony’s special day, the whole team signed Robert’s lucky Crabtree jersey, even though he is no longer on the team, for Anthony to hang proudly above the couch he watched every game on with Robert. The entire 49ers organization made a young boy and his makeshift-father’s dreams come true in just one day.
In an off-season riddled with NFL players finding ways to get into trouble (there have been over 15 NFL players arrested since the Seahawks chose to throw the ball on the goal line in the Superbowl), it’s nice to see a positive news story making its way around the internet.
In an off-season riddled with NFL players finding ways to get into trouble… it’s nice to see a positive news story.
Stories such as these touch the hearts of all, whether you are a fan of the 49ers or not. It’s something for the league and team to rally around; doing nice things for the ones who make them into the superheroes and billionaires they are.
We’ve seen several other touching stories in the past year, with the likes of Leah and Devon Still, or Lauren Hill, it’s nice to be able to step back from all the numbers and drills and really consider what’s important in life. Kudos to the 49ers front office, players, and personnel for making such a small gesture that made such a large impact.