Texas A&M Visits Children’s Medical Center
The Texas A&M Aggies visited Children's Medical Center Dallas while in town for the AT&T Cotton Bowl game against LSU on January 7.
Texas A&M Head Coach Mike Sherman and the Aggie football team spent Tuesday afternoon visiting patients at the Children’s Medical Center of Dallas as part of the activities involved with the 75th AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic.
John Stewart of the Cotton Bowl Council and CMC President Chris Durovich welcomed the Aggies to the Center’s Butterfly Atrium, where the team interacted with patients and family members, signed autographs, drew and took pictures. After the initial welcome, the Aggies divided into groups and toured the various hospital floors, visiting children in their rooms who could not make it down to the atrium.
“It is a privilege of ours to be here today,” Sherman said. “This hospital is known throughout the community and the country. The positive attitude of your staff and patients in times of adversity is remarkable. We tip our hats to you and my heart goes out to the families and children. In difficult times, I always turn to family and faith and so it is special for us to be here today.”
Stewart presented Durovich and the hospital with a commemorative 75th AT&T Cotton Bowl Vault book. The AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic in partnership with the Dr Pepper Snapple Group provided gift bags which contained 75th Annual AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic t-shirts and posters for the children. The Dr Pepper Snapple Group also provided snacks for the guests.
The visit was as special to the student-athletes as it was to the patients.
“It means a lot especially when you are in a position to give back to the community and children not as fortunate as us,” Aggie linebacker Von Miller said. “It is always good to give back. We are here because life is bigger than football.”
Those sentiments were shared by quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
“It is wonderful anytime you are able to give back to the community,” Tannehill said. “These are some kids that are going through some tough times. It is really encouraging to us as players. We play a game that we take very seriously, but it really lightens it up when you compare it to the things that these kids are going through. It inspires us for the game and it inspires them for their fight against their illness.”
Wide receiver Jeff Fuller, who spotted some Longhorn fans in the group he committed to convert to TAMU followers added, “Coming here puts things in perspective. You see all these kids here going through a lot of different things and we all have our small problems, but then you come here and you see how strong these kids are and it is definitely motivation.”
Children's Medical Center is private, not-for-profit, and is one of the largest pediatric healthcare providers in the nation. It is the only academic healthcare facility in North Texas dedicated exclusively to the comprehensive care of children from birth to age 18.
