The incredible story of Blake Dudley, the 14-year old boy, wheelchair-bound with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, who had a dream, wrote a letter, and saw his dream come true.

I caught up with Blake Dudley (left) with his mother, Celeste (right) at their hotel in Florida before the BCS National Championship in January

I was able to catch up with Blake and his mother, Celeste the weekend before the game. Having the chance to see the result of everyone’s generosity first-hand was easily one of my favorite experiences the entire trip.

I remember one of my Twitter followers (and it’s been so long, I forget who!) said, “I hope this thing takes off and gets so big, the kid gets to live like a king the whole trip.” Upon walking into their hotel, I believe he did. Media members were all over, official BCS decorations were everywhere, including a sand art logo proudly displayed in the beach outside.

Not only had the fundraising effort help make such accommodation possible, a local Miami reporter recognized Blake when he came into the hotel. She went to greet him and joyfully let him know that she had been praying that he would be able to attend the game.

I asked Blake if he ever thought his original letter would ever result in something so big. “No” was the simple, meek, and humble answer. It was as if he was still amazed that yet another stranger (and this time some random guy from a blog) was so anxious to ask him the obvious.

How could he have predicted just how big this would get? Southern Gameday, firmly in the corner of Alabama, helped get the ball rolling. “It was cool that they didn’t care what team I liked. They just wanted to help me get here,” said Blake of the Alabama efforts.

We here at HLS were more than happy to assist with that effort and we sent out the call in a Friday Roundup. That fundraiser, along with local fundraisers in Blake’s area, we were able to net around $6,000 total to make this dream a reality. American Airlines donated the flight. An anonymous donor even sprung for two tickets outright. With all of these efforts, Celeste was able to organize handicap accessible seating for Blake, a third ticket for his brother, the hotel stay, a much needed handicap accessible van, and even money leftover for souvenirs to remember this incredible trip.

I asked Blake if there was anything he wanted to relay to all those that helped out in this monumental effort: “Just thank them that I got to be here. They helped give me the money and all that so I could be here.”

The only part of Blake’s dream that didn’t come true was his prediction. It started neutral and simple with a “whoever wins it’ll be by seven.” In the end though, he couldn’t help himself, blurting out “but Notre Dame’s gonna win” before I could halt the recording of the interview on my phone.

Notre Dame may not have won the game, but Blake sure did.

I am incredibly proud that HLS was able to play a part in this effort and I would definitely like to extend my own thanks to anyone that donated and helped spread the word.

The post Making Dreams Come True appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

In the spirit of Christmas, a season of giving, this Roundup will be dedicated not just to HLS giving back, but to shine the spotlight on a couple of worthy causes to donate to as well.

Many of you are likely familiar with the Kelly Cares Foundation. Founded by Brain and Paqui Kelly, the organization is most well known for their work in support of breast cancer research, but also extend their focus to education and community needs.

We have donated to Kelly Cares in the past before, most notably through our ticket auction earlier this season. I am pleased to announce that we have done so again to the tune of $200.

We also invite you to consider giving not just to Kelly Cares, but perhaps also a couple of other worthy causes.

To start, you can help make a kid’s dream come true. You may have heard the name Blake Dudley floating around, especially on Twitter. Blake is a huge fan of the Irish and like many of us has dreams of going to the BCS title game.

However, unlike us, Blake has Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The disease has now forced this boy, who once loved playing sports, to be bound to a wheelchair. While his body has weakened, his love for the Irish has never subsided.

I was able to talk with his mother, Celeste, via email and she had the following to say:

This has been so cool, I can’t believe all the kind words and actions of people from all around the country!!  Our heads are spinning!  I just hope so much that his dream is realized, it really does mean the world to him!

I also received a call today from Blake’s counselor at school that his entire school 6th, 7th, and 8th grade are all writing letters to Brian Kelly to tell them why they think Blake deserves to go to the game!

There really are great people in this world!!!

Blake’s desire to go to South Beach was so strong, he took matters into his own hands and had a letter he wrote scanned and posted on the Internet. Since that time, the story has started getting attention. Even Alabama fans have taken notice. One site, Southern Gameday, has gotten involved as well and has even set up a donation drive for the effort. As of the time of this writing, that drive has raised over $2,100.

If ‘Bama fans can get on board, so can we. Let’s make Blake’s dream come true. Please drop by Southern Gameday’s donation drive and give whatever you can, even if it’s just $1. Also, be sure to drop in a message of “Go Irish” or something similar in the donation comments. The man behind this drive has agreed to track a little friendly fundraising competition, so let’s start kicking the crap out of ‘Bama early!

HLS will be giving a $25 donation to get the ball rolling on the Irish side. Let’s get Blake to South Beach!

On to the lighter side of fundraising, our friends at the House Rock Built are doing a fund raiser of their own. You can check out the full details on their site, but you might also want to check out Puppet Tommy Rees who as a special message for all Loyal Readers:

In all seriousness, these guys do great work and have helped many ND fans get through some of our more awful seasons. They are very close to their goal and HLS will be helping with a $25 donation to help them in their final push. This will also get us a line in a future episode and this line will be community driven from either forum discussion, mad lib, or absinthe party.

Again, no amount is too small. If you’ve ever enjoyed any of this puppet goodness, drop a dollar or two into their tip jar.

I want to thank the staff for their generosity. I also would like to thank our advertising partners and every reader that has used our Amazon links to help make this happen. Y’all are all truly awesome.

The Roundup

Well this is donation certainly should’ve been more appreciated. Remember that concerned alumnus that donated a huge chunk of cash to discount tickets? Well, some students found a way to be upset about it. Big zero for any student in that camp. Someone like Blake would’ve loved the chances that y’all enjoyed for your ticket lottery.

Speaking of BCS tickets, it seems desperate times call for desperate measures. One Irish fan is more than willing to sell his truck to have the chance. Again, to the awful complaining students, never speak again.

Dine and dash just got a whole new meaning. A recruit claims that Tommy Tubberville dodged questions about how long he’d stay at Texas Tech, got up and then never returned. The next day, he’s off to Cincinnati. Cincinnati, to no surprise, is denying this.

Tyler Hansbrough doesn’t appreciate you elbowing his brother. Former Irish hoops star Ben Hansbrough caught the business end of an elbow and big brother got ever so slightly pissed about it.

RIP Big East. My God, I’m glad the Irish are out of that mess.

B1G ideas…from online surveys. Since Delany can’t be trusted with logical decisions it is now up to the internet to help the Big Ten figure out how to make their new divisions.

Well here’s Irish opponent news you don’t see everyday. The faculty of future ND opponent UMass isn’t so happy with the move to the FBS and would like to return to the FCS. However, such a move likely won’t happen.

Just add MSPaint. Someone at Tennessee was actually paid to do this.

After further review… The Pac 12 will officiate the BCS National Championship Game. I’m already preparing myself for the “ND bought refs just like they did against Stanford” or something similar. This only ends in ‘Bama claiming another title no matter what.

Look, we are generous, but we don’t plan on ever giving these back. My God, what a beautiful sight. Just needs a crystal football.

Put These Games On Your Radar?

Bowl season will kick off this Saturday. There isn’t a single matchup that you should stop down for. If you need a football fix though, here’s a schedule.

The Beer

I’ll be honest, I haven’t given too much thought to the beer choice this week. However, it’s winter and you can’t go wrong with a good strong stout.

I’m going to peruse the liquor store after work today, what are your stouts of choice?

The post Friday Roundup: The “Caring, Crystal Dreams, and Puppets” Edition appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.