Seahawks' Irvin makes dream come true for 4-year-old fan battling heart disease
Seattle Seahawks linebacker Bruce Irvin made lastSunday's home opener a dream come true for a young child battling heart disease.
Irvin flew in 4-year-old Camden Ayres and his family to attend Sunday's game. Camden, who is afflicted with a severe congenital heart disorder, was not expected to live past the age of 3.
The family, which now lives in Florida but is from Washington state, told station KIMA-TV that they initially connected with Irvin through Facebook, where they have a page titled "Camden's Journey: Beating the Odds."
The Ayres met Irvin in Florida in April and the fourth-year linebacker asked Camden if he had ever been to a Seattle game. Camden's mother, Carrie, said attending a Seahawks game was on the child's "bucket list."
"We were trying to create a lifetime of experiences in an unknown amount of time," said Carrie Ayres, who relayed how Camden cheers for the team by yelling "un un!" while watching the Seahawks on television.
Camden's father, Dustin, said he was speechless when Irvin extended the invitation to fly the family to the game.
Excuse me while my heart explodes
Posted by Camden's Journey: Beating the Odds on Sunday, September 27, 2015
"For a little boy who literally has no words, his smile said it all," Dustin said. "And for once in my life I actually had no words. When I was finally able to speak all I could manage to say was, 'Are you serious?' And he said yep."
Camden and his family arrived in Seattle on Saturday and visited the team's practice facility, meeting with coach Pete Carroll along with Irvin and some of his teammates before attending Sunday's game.
