Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz gave everyone — regardless of team allegiance — something to root for this week.
Right before the Eagles went up against the Washington Redskins Monday night, Wentz revealed to ESPN why he wears a small grey and green wristband every game.
The wristband reads “Dutch Destroyer” and honors 10-year-old Lukas Kusters, a boy whose dream was to play for the Eagles someday. Sadly, Lukas passed away earlier this year.
When he was eight years old, Lukas was told he had a serious tumor in his stomach and was prescribed a full year of chemotherapy. The hospital quickly told the Eagles his story. Shortly thereafter, a few Eagles players stopped by to deliver some team memorabilia, as well as a video message from Wentz.
“When he saw what it was [Wentz], and when he saw that it was for him — he just got this smile, just the most beautiful smile on his face, just ear to ear. Smiled the whole way through it. And then at the end, I think it hit him, this is Carson Wentz — that took the time out of his day — to send this message to me. And he just — he just started to cry. He just started to cry,” Lukas’s mom said told ESPN.
After a long fight through chemotherapy and radiation treatments, Lukas’s family learned there wasn’t much else left to do. His cancer was terminal and his time on earth was limited.
So the Kusters got involved with Make A Wish Foundation, and Lukas’s wish was simple.
His mom explained the situation by saying, “Look, buddy, let’s think of something good and positive and happy right now. Let’s think about your wish and what you could do. And he said to me, ‘Mom, I just want to thank Carson.’ That was his wish. His wish was just to thank Carson for the video he sent him.”
But the Eagles had something else in mind. They sent a limo to pick up Lukas and his family and drove him to the Eagles locker room. There, he met Wentz and Coach Pederson.
“The second he walked out, he got right down on Lukas’ level. Lukas was in a wheelchair,” Lukas’s mom told ESPN, “and, you know, welcomed him there, and just made Lukas feel like there was no one else in that building the entire time.”
And after hanging out with Wentz for a few hours, Lukas gave him one of his green and gray bracelets. Lukas died 13 days later on June 12, 2017. He was buried in a Wentz jersey.
“It’s so much deeper than football is what it comes down to. It’s so much more than just a game. Impactful. Meaningful. Powerful. And just another reminder for me that it is more than a game; that it is an opportunity to do good, whatever that is, whatever that looks like, and to just be authentic and genuine with people,” Wentz said during the ESPN special segment.
Lukas might not be alive anymore, but he surely would be thrilled to know that the Eagles are doing well. The Birds are 6-1, the best record in the NFL.