Five-year-old Haven Greyson Smith could not contain his excitement, throwing his hands up in the air and clapping, when he saw some special visitors walk into his hospital room. They were players from his favorite football team, which he and his grandpa watch all the time on TV: the San Francisco 49ers.
Thirteen players took time out of their schedule to stop by Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford to spread joy to patients, like Haven, who are going through a challenging time. Haven has spent the last 50 days at the hospital. It’s his first extended hospital stay since he was born weighing 0.9 pounds, earning the title of the tiniest baby born at Packard Children’s in 2019.
“Haven sat at the edge of his bed the entire time that the 49ers were here,” says Amanda Smith, Haven’s mom. “It really touched my heart that the players took the time to visit and meet patients and families like ours. I call Haven my miracle and it’s so great that he got to meet some of his heroes.”
The 49ers went room to room, visiting some of their biggest and youngest fans, listening to their stories, and gifting team blankets, bears, and toys. One of them, Evelyn Becerra, had a giant smile plastered on her face the entire time. She even video chatted with her dad, Manuel, to make him jealous that she met their favorite players.
Erik Greene, 17, looked on in awe as the professional football players walked into his room. They chatted about their favorite video games to play, learning that they had some in common. “It was awesome being able to meet the guys and shake their hands,” he said. “I can’t say enough about how much it meant.”
For 49ers tight end George Kittle and his team, it’s important to give back to the community. “Going to a room, having a conversation with a kid, and putting a smile on their face means the world to me,” Kittle said.
Kittle was accompanied by teammates Spencer Burford, Chris Conley, Jordan Mason, T.Y. McGill, Jake Moody, Mason Pline, Curtis Robinson, Patrick Taylor, Jr., Trent Taylor, Jake Tonges, Isaac Yiadom, and Nick Zakelj.
It’s clear to see the sense of gratitude from the Packard Children’s patients. At the end of the day, Haven was still so excited that he wanted to pose with all the gifts from the Niners and recorded a video shouting, “Go 49ers go!”
