Gronk and Make a Wish Team Up

09.28.17

Posted by: Gronkowski

Gronk and Make-A-Wish Surprise 7-Year Old with Backyard Football Field

Rob Gronkowski worked with Make-A-Wish Massachusetts and Rhode Island to
surprise Ryan Feeney and helped break in Ryan’s new backyard football field.
Make-A-Wish granted Ryan a customized field with a New England Patriots theme
as part of his wish. The field included a custom sign, scoreboard, painted field, team
benches, bleachers and a personalized jersey.

In early September, Gronkowski arrived at the tailgate reveal party of Ryan’s wish
and shocked Ryan. Gronkowski tossed the football around with Ryan for a while
before taking photos with the whole group.

“He couldn’t believe what he saw when Gronk came in and he had to hug him to
make sure it was all real,” Ryan’s mother Jill Tozza told the Free Press. “I think the
emotions he was feeling led him to just run towards Gronk and give him a big hug.
Who wouldn’t want to do that.”

At 4 months old, Ryan was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis, a genetic disorder
that causes tumors on the nerve tissue. The disorder resulted in a development of
tibia dysplasia that required a below-knee amputation when Ryan was only two
years old. Ryan is now undergoing chemotherapy to shrink a tumor on his optic nerve.

Written by: Ben Faunce

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