On a typical visit to a children's hospital, New England Patriots players are the ones bringing gifts and signing autographs for patients.
Roles were reversed last Tuesday, though, when Riley, a kid receiving treatment at Boston Children's Hospital, told Garrett Bradbury, Jack Gibbens, Vederian Lowe and Julian Ashby that he had a present for them – a maroon flag with a picture of the nine-year-old in his baseball uniform. Large white letters on the flag read, "Pray for Riley."
Gibbens asked Riley, a Newport, Maine, native, to autograph it so the players could hang it up at Gillette Stadium. After their walkthrough practice Saturday, before their Week 4 win against the Carolina Panthers, more Patriots players posed for a picture with Riley's flag – including quarterback Drake Maye.
"It was a special day to see their faces light up," Bradbury said of the visit.
"Just hearing from some of the nurses how hard some days are for these kids, but their faces were lighting up today. It was fun to spend some time with those kids. There were a lot of sports fans, so we had a lot in common there to share stories."
Riley wasn't the only child the Patriots were able to meet that morning.
Bradbury also connected with 13-year-old Julian over playing center in football, and Lowe and the child discussed their mutual love of boxing and UFC.
The players met James, a 17-year-old star quarterback who was upset to be missing his senior season while in the hospital, too. They spent a good amount of time talking to James and his father, who was grateful for the visit.
"This is such a blessing," James' father said.
It was a blessing for the players, too.
"Just seeing life from a different perspective, seeing what those kids are going through but still having smiles on their faces, it was great to be a part of their day and bring them some joy," said Lowe.
The Patriots also visited a one-year-old to lift the spirits of the baby's parents.
This resonated deeply for Gibbens, a new dad with a nine-month-old at home. Same for Bradbury and Lowe, who also have kids of their own.
"It was super inspiring to be around those kids and their families," said Gibbens.
"It definitely puts a lot into perspective about how blessed we are. Just to see the amount of joy and love that they have, even while going through something so hard, it definitely makes you appreciate the life you have and makes you want to attack each day how they do. Especially for those parents, as a new father myself, to see them support their kids through such a hard time is incredible."
Ashby was the only player on the visit who didn't have kids of his own, but the cause resonated with the rookie long snapper in a different way.
His mother, Marvel, works as a nurse in the newborn intensive care unit back home in Atlanta at the Arthur M. Blank Hospital. This was a cause close to home.
"I'm just super appreciative to the Patriots Foundation for setting up opportunities like this for us to come and serve around the community all over New England," Ashby said.
"Boston Children's Hospital really opened its doors for us today to meet some patients and spend time with them which was a lot of fun. It's always a good when we can take time off the field to really get plugged in with the people around us and realize this sport gives us such a great platform to inspire people and to bring some joy. So, to get out here and serve with my teammates today was a lot of fun."
