The picture of Johnny Manziel visiting a young girl in the hospital has made the rounds this morning. For those that missed it, here it is:
For Cleveland Browns fans this story is all about Manziel, their once “Quarterback of the Future.” Questions arose about his stay in a rehab facility. Those stories are for another day.
Today, our story is about the other person in that picture, Kiki Crist. Crist was obviously excited, as you can tell from her Twitter page, to be visited by this star athlete. We reached out to Kiki’s mother, who directed us to speak to her daughter directly.
Here is Kiki’s story, one that is still in progress and full of unknowns and uncertainties:
How are you doing medically?
“Right now i’m in a lot of pain, I’ve had an ongoing issue for a while now, hoping and praying we will get answers. I was just in the hospital last month and yesterday I was readmitted to Hershey Medical Center to manage pain and try to figure out what is causing the pain.”
What has been the toughest part so far for you and your family?
“I’m a soccer player, and i’m used to playing soccer everyday, and I haven’t be able to play, and I was going to try lacrosse this year, I made it to two practices and then had to go to the hospital again, very frustrating!”
Did you know Johnny Manziel was coming to your hospital?
“I had no idea he was coming, my nurse came in and said you have a special visitor and asked if I minded if he came in, when he walked in my heart stopped! He definitely got my mind off me being in the hospital!”
What was it like there when people heard he was around?
“Well I was drooling, haha but it was fun, calmed me down and it was good to get my mind off everything that has been going on!”
How long did you get to talk to him and what was he like?
“25 minutes, he was a very kind and caring guy! We held a steady conversation, I asked to come back on Thursday if I get my surgery.”
Are there anyways that our loyal readers can help support you?
“I love getting cards, the support on Twitter is great and just pray for answers so I can get back to a normal 17 year old’s life. Put in the story that I want to go to Prom with him, maybe he will come with me.”
So while many saw the picture of Johnny Manziel and wondered about his process in rehab, this young girl was able to be distracted from her pain from his visit. Imagine struggling with some unknowns, some uncertainties that have taken you away from your home and the sports you love. In walks an NFL player and they spend 25 minutes with you. The distraction from the pain and frustration is noticeable.
Then think that a number of media outlets reach out to you for a statement. So instead of continuing to just sitting in a hospital bed, wondering what next test you might have to take, you get to interact about a time that this NFL guy came wandering into your hospital room.
Because of Johnny Manziel coming by her room, Kiki Crist has gotten to spend much of today not thinking about a possible surgery tomorrow. Instead of worrying, wondering and dealing with anxiety, she gets to deal with excitement.
Johnny Manziel did his part for this young girl, now loyal Cleveland Browns fans it is time to do our part. Here are the 3 ways we want to support Kiki as she deals with her medical condition:
- Tweet her some support. Click here for her Twitter page in a new window.
- Old school: Send her cards to the Hershey Medical Center 500 University Dr, Hershey, PA 17033
- Re-Tweet and share this Tweet to try to get Johnny Manziel to go to Prom with Kiki on May 8th.
Date Edit: Hey @JManziel2 you visited her in the hospital, now go to prom on May 8th with @kikijunecrist http://t.co/Lu1iBNjkO6 @Browns
— Dawg Pound Daily (@dawgpounddaily) April 8, 2015
Time to go to work Browns fans. Let’s help this young girl deal with her tough situation and continue to be distracted by the positives that started when Johnny Manziel walked into her hospital room. We can’t wait to hear stories of the positive tweets and cards she receives. We can’t wait for pictures of their Prom together.
It is stories like this that make being a fan fun. Johnny Manziel made the initial impact, now we get to join in for this girl. Get to work. #BarkTogether
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