Cowboys fan has special place in her heart for the Steelers
…because of the ultimate act of kindness by a young fan from Steeler Nation!
“When you strip away titles, team colors, etc. we are all the same…human.” — Nefeterius McPherson
From Nefeterius:
I am a HUGE Dallas Cowboys fan. I’ve been one all of my Texas born/Texas bred life. I’m going to the Steelers v. Cowboys game on Sunday but it’s not just any game. It’s a game where my favorite NFL team will play my 12-year-old organ donor’s favorite NFL team. Taitlyn Hughes was a HUGE Steelers fan. Her sister Darian told me that her favorite player was Ben Roethlisberger. Going to the game on Sunday is going to be so special to me. I will pay tribute to the sweet girl who gave me the gift of life when she donated her organs to 4 people, including me, on November 6, 2011. My body loves my new liver and I will always do what I can to help keep Taitlyn’s memory alive.
Here’s a picture of the handmade sign I’m taking with me to the game:
On Sunday, November 6, 2011, 12-year-old Taitlyn Shae Hughes died of a brain hemorrhage as a result of an AVM rupture. Her death was very unexpected. At age 11, Taitlyn told her parents that if anything were to happen to her, she wanted to donate her organs and save lives. Upon her death, Taitlyn saved four lives. One person received her pancreas, two people received her kidneys and Nefeterius McPherson received her liver.
Before Taitlyn died, her goal was to change the world. Nefeterius has made it her mission to fulfill Taitlyn’s goal of changing the world by educating people about the importance of organ donation and how it saves lives.
There are currently more than 116,000 people on the national organ transplant waiting list. Each day 18 people die while waiting on a lifesaving transplant. Both numbers can be reduced by people registering to become organ donors. In Pennsylvania, people can register to be an organ donor at http://www.donatelife-pa.org/. Organ, tissue and eye donation saves lives and transcends sports rivalries.
Since tweeting the photo of her sign to the website last week, Nefeterius was interviewed by WFAA-TV, a local station in Dallas-Fort Worth.
You can watch & read […]
Foundation: Arlington (TX) Police receive grant
Today, Ben announced the eighth grant of the 2012-13 season from The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation at The Giving Back Fund.
The Foundation will be distributing a grant to the Arlington Police Department where the Steelers will play the Cowboys this Sunday, December 16th.
The Arlington Police Department plans to use the funds for equipment and other needs for their K-9 unit which currently consists of three teams of handlers and dogs.
Arlington Interim Chief of Police, Will Johnson, said, “Last year, we lost a loyal K-9 who had served the Arlington community for six years. Vic, a Dutch Shepherd, had to be put to sleep due to inoperable cancer. Thanks to community support and donations, a new K-9 was purchased earlier this year and continues to be trained. The needs of maintaining a very active K-9 unit are substantial. The Arlington Police Department is grateful for the support that the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation has shown in providing this grant to help further our K-9 program.”
This marks the sixth season that The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation has distributed grants to K-9 units. The mission of the Foundation is to support K-9 units of police and fire departments throughout the United States with a particular emphasis on support for service dogs in Pittsburgh, PA and to support other charitable organizations, such as the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
You can get more information about Ben’s Foundation here!
You can also contact Stephanie Sandler at the The Giving Back Fund.
Steeler Nation, Holiday Style!
It’s another Fan Friday, but with a festive flair!
While Santa Claus is busy at the North Pole this time of year, Cassie Spruill is busy reppin’ her favorite team at the South Pole!!
Cassie is a Nurse Practitioner currently in Antarctica at the South Pole Station. She is a big Steelers fan and made sure not to leave home for her new assignment without her Terrible Towel in tow (along with her “Troy Knows” t-shirt).
Major Susan Lukes, USMC, was standing on a tank in Afghanistan for the Salute to Our Troops post last month for Veterans Day.
She is back on the home page this month with her “Steelers home away from home” Christmas decorations at Camp Leatherneck.
“Today I received my Christmas care package from my nine year old daughter, she knows I love my Pittsburgh Steelers…she sent this PASS TO COME HOME on a Pittsburgh Steelers lanyard! I will end my 7 month deployment on 10 Jan and thought this was so precious and wanted to pass it along for the BigBen7website for holiday cheers to our awesome team! Go Steelers!! Much love sent from Afghanistan.” — Sarah Lukes, Major, United States Marine Corp
Closer to home…
A Snow Ben in Chattanooga, Tennessee!
“I am just a die hard Steeler fan, have been my whole life, never miss a game. And I am a huge Ben supporter, so I had to make me a Big Ben snowman.” — Donnie Davidson
And what would a Fan Friday post be without a Lil’ Fan?
Meet Benjamin “Big Ben” Shank! Ben said this was the best year of his life because he is 7-years old (you know, the #7) and because he is also named after his favorite player.
“Benjamin is holding his 2nd grade holiday project: a Christmas ornament designed with his favorite interests. Of course my Big Ben chose the Steelers, showcasing #7 and Big Ben at the top! He also has all NFL teams and their records memorized for the 2012-2013 season and has his playoff predictions ready (Steelers are his #1 choice!). Not bad for a […]
The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation at work
“I wanted a dog that met the standard of the one that I had before. This dog surpassed those expectations, I think this dog is going to keep getting better.” — Officer Scalzo
From an article in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review this week:
Jeannette police officer Justin Scalzo & Falco. Photo: Guy Wathen
Two German shepherds bound to the door when Patrolman Justin Scalzo puts on his police uniform.
But only one can join him for work in Jeannette.
“It‘s a hard transition for him right now,” Scalzo said of retiring K-9 officer Wando, a 9-year-old dog who worked the city streets for seven years.
Wando will officially retire at Wednesday‘s Jeannette council meeting. Two-year-old Falco will be sworn in as Wando‘s replacement. Both dogs live with Scalzo and his family.
With a grant from the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation at The Giving Back Fund, Falco was purchased for $6,500 in May 2012. On Nov. 21, Falco graduated from training and has been on the force since.
Wando and Falco work as dual-purpose police dogs, meaning they are certified in narcotics detection and patrolling, which can include obedience, tracking and searches. They can quell an aggressive situation and make a scene safer for their human counterparts…
You can read more about Falco here.
You can learn more about Ben’s foundation here.
Wednesday: Ben’s interview with the media
“This is a big one for us. As we know, and those of you know that have been around here, it’s all about when you get hot, when you start playing good football, and for us the time is now. We need to start playing our best and put together a little run here.” — Ben, on this weekend’s game against Dallas.
More from Ben this afternoon:
Was “readiness to play” or the lack of addressed this week in reference to the San Diego game?
I didn’t see that from the people I was around. I sensed maybe a little bit of trying to get it energized and get it going a little bit.
I think everyone is ready to play. I don’t think it has been addressed really this week.
I think you’ll see from guys who’ve been around here for awhile that it’s that time you’ll start seeing some leaders stepping up on the ways on how to practice. And hopefully young guys will take some cues from that.
Is there a “sense of desperation” now, especially with Cincinnati losing last week as well?
No. Every game for us right now is big. It doesn’t matter if it’s AFC or NFC, Cincinnati, whoever it is…We need to come out and play ball. I don’t want to use the word ‘desperation’ because I don’t feel desperate. I just feel we need to put it together and play the ball the way we know how to play ball.
Did he feel an inability to get into a rhythm on Sunday?
I don’t know if the rhythm, or lack thereof last week had anything to do with injury. I think I did come out a little anxious, a little rusty, but we just couldn’t put it together. From one phase of offense, one position, on any particular play, it wasn’t like we had any two positions doing the right thing. It was one of those funky things, and I think we’ve got it corrected.
Jokingly asked if Tony Romo is “on the list”: one of those quarterbacks he has a personal competition with?
(Laughs) He plays for “America’s Team” right? I think the Steelers are the “World’s Team” (smiles). But no, we just want to go beat them.”
On whether there was any talk of him leaving the game […]
“Iron Man”
Ben is the cover story of this week’s USA Today Sports Weekly (Dec 12th – 18th issue).
Below are a few excerpts from the article, written by Jim Corbett:
Ben Roethlisberger took a rare sabbatical from football December 3rd, accompanying his wife Ashley and 2-week old son, Ben Jr.. to get their first Christmas tree.
“It’s truly magical,” Roethlisberger says of being a father. “The place was 15 minutes from my parents’ home, so it was another chance for them to see their first grandson. He’s awesome.”
If Ben Jr. were old enough to talk, he might use that same word, as his Pittsburgh Steelers teammates do to describe his dad’s pain threshold. The day after the family excursion, Ben Jr.’s dad was back on his team’s South Side practice field continuing another Roethlisberger family tradition. This is the time of year Roethlisberger does what he does best – play through pain in a bid to salvage his team’s season.
“Ben brings a dominance to our team nobody else can,” receiver Mike Wallace says. “We have to win every game from here on out…When Ben’s playing, he gives this team that big old boost, because he’s one of the top five quarterbacks in the game.”
It was fitting that Pittsburgh’s biggest gun’s return coincided with the practice return of Baltimore Ravens leader Ray Lewis from a torn triceps suffered October 14th. Roethlisberger and Lewis had a heart-to-heart talk about both missing the fierce Baltimore-Pittsburgh rivalry for the first time during their careers.
“Ray came up to me before the game, and we had a long conversation on the field,” he said. “I have a lot of respect for that guy. I gave him a hug, and Ray goes, ‘Who would have ever thought that this game neither one of us would play?’ I said, ‘I know. It’s not the same.’ It was acknowledging the admiration we have for each other. It’s great to see him back out there too!”
Despite the ugly San Diego loss, the Steelers hold the sixth and final AFC seed and own the tiebreaker over the 7-6 Cincinnati Bengals, whom they host on December 23rd.
The Steelers have a healthy, motivated Roethlisberger carrying a chip on his Kevlar-padded shoulder….
USA Today Sports Weekly is available wherever newspapers […]