FanPost

Another reason I'm proud to be a Vikings fan

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One of her hospital visits

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Her first Vikings jersey

This is a little personal, and not completely football related. I'm doing this to get the word out on some really good people that happen to play for our beloved Vikings. SkolGirl has mentioned this as well, but it bears repeating.

A lot of people are aware that John Sullivan and Chad Greenway have been very involved with Amplatz Children's Hospital. They were instrumental in funding a playground at the hospital, as Sully donated $150,000 and Greenway donated another $25,000. The Vikings Children's fund donated the remaining $25,000 needed. Here's a link to an article detailing their involvement: LINK

If you've never had a child who has gone through a major medical procedure (first of all, be thankful), then you may not understand how much the contributions of Sullivan and Greenway mean. To have a place where the kids and families can go means more than you can imagine. A lot of times, the families and children have been at the hospital for weeks or even months. The joy a moment of normalcy can bring is immeasurable.

I know all of this because our daughter Natalie was born at Amplatz. We're from Bismarck ND, but Natalie was diagnosed with a heart condition (small left ventricle), and she needed to have the expertise available that Amplatz has. She had her first open heart procedure at 10 days old, and has undergone another open heart procedure and several catheter procedures (that's when they go through the femoral artery to the heart).

Natalie still isn't finished with her medical journey. They're not sure if the procedures they've done are going to work, and more open-heart procedures may be necessary, and a heart transplant may be necessary.

Through all of this, we've learned to be thankful. We're thankful that we have a good family, that there are facilities like Amplatz with such talented surgeons and doctors, that there are such tremendous people and organizations like Sully, Greenway, and the Vikings. So, with all of the bad news and negativity about players and teams, it is refreshing to see guys and organizations use their influence and resources to make this world a better place.

This FanPost was created by a registered user of The Daily Norseman, and does not necessarily reflect the views of the staff of the site. However, since this is a community, that view is no less important.