It had been less than two months on the job for New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel when he received a letter from a 15-year-old Cape Cod resident named Jayden.

Receiving long-term treatment at Boston Children's Hospital for a serious illness, the teenager's tutor hoped to get him motivated to complete a writing project that actually interested him. With the Patriots having just recently hired Vrabel, inspiration struck.

"They connected over Ohio State and the Patriots and decided to make the writing project a letter to Mike Vrabel, and it was an awesome letter," said Jane Searfoss, a child life specialist in the pediatric intermediate care unit.

"They got some Ohio State gear to send off to Mike in hopes of getting a letter or a video back."

When the head coach received the letter, he was gearing up for the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine. Sending a video message or letter back alone would have been an easy way to make the boy's day – convenient enough for Vrabel to have impact in the community while he worked hard to take over the football operation and fly to Indianapolis with his staff.

Instead, Vrabel went above and beyond. He asked to visit Jayden at the hospital before leaving town.

"With the sincerity of his letter and where he was at from a health perspective, I thought that was something I wanted to do," Vrabel said Monday, months after their initial visit.

"I thought it was important to go see him, encourage him, and to encourage him to thank the nurses who put so much time in with those patients and his tutor who made it part of his learning to write me a letter. It just worked out well, and to see his health now is amazing."

At the time, Jayden's situation was dire.

He had been in the hospital since September of 2024 due to complications from sickle cell disease. Jayden's family didn't know what was going to happen, but when he was able to come home this fall, it felt like a miracle.

"When he went to the hospital a year ago he developed a pulmonary shunting of the lung that we think was caused by sickle cell, which he was born with," said Jayden's stepmother, Rachael.

"He was a good case for a new FDA-approved gene therapy but it had to be pushed back while they figured out some things going on with him. They didn't know if that would heal his lungs, but it did, and now he's come back stronger than ever."

Jayden's battle was hard fought, but experiences like Vrabel's visit helped keep him going.

Despite what he was going through, Jayden's personality and dry humor stole the heart of his nurses and anyone else he interacted with.

"He gives you some zingers," admitted Vrabel.

"He's like, 'Oh, you're old and washed up' and all this other stuff. He doesn't care who you are -- he's a jokester."

During his stay at Boston Children's, the sports-loving boy got to meet other local legends like Patriots Hall of Famer Julian Edelman and players on the Boston Red Sox. A great wingman, he even tried to help set one of his nurses up with the baseball player.

"I think when Coach Vrabel first visited him it's something that really helped hold him over," said Rachael.

"What warms my heart the most is that (Vrabel) kept tabs on Jayden to see how he was doing, and when he got out of the hospital, he wanted to invite our family to a game. I was like, 'Are you sure? There's a lot of us!' But he did, and this weekend has been an unbelievable experience."

The reunion was just as unbelievable for Vrabel.

With the news that Jayden was discharged from the hospital and recovering, Vrabel and the Patriots extended an invite to him and his family to watch a walk-through practice and attend New England's Week 8 win against the Cleveland Browns.

"I couldn't believe it," said Vrabel.

"Just like, his big smile and his strength – I gave him a hug and I was like, 'Man, you're jacked up! You're ready to go!' Just physically it was really cool to see him strong and healthy."

For the trip to Foxborough, Jayden brought Rachael, his father Aubrey, and four of his siblings.

They received the full VIP treatment, meeting players like Drake Maye at practice and getting a tour of the Patriots weight room and football facility on Saturday. For the game, the family attended a complimentary tailgate party, had pregame sideline passes, and met Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft.

"You see how he is with his family, and he makes them all feel special, and they do the same for him," said Vrabel. "It was good to see them all come out."

For Rachael, the weekend was a beautiful reminder of why it's so important to keep their faith at the forefront.

"It was a scary time for us as a family watching him go through that," said Rachael.

"It was hard for all of us and for (Jayden's father) Aubrey trying to be the director at his job and a full-time dad at the same time, trying to be with Jayden as often as possible while supporting everyone. The gene therapy could have gone one way or another, so there was a lot of prayer involved. We turned it over to God and we wouldn't be here without Jesus."