Buckeyes Bring Smiles to Patients at Local Hospitals – Ohio State Buckeyes
7/16/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
July 16, 2015
| Buckeye players visited patients at the Arthur G. James Cancer and Nationwide Children’s Hospitals on Wednesday. |
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Buckeyes Give Back.
It’s a motto the Ohio State community and its athletics department have lived by for years and Wednesday a group of Ohio State football student-athletes did just that when they visited two local hospitals, brightening the day of patients at the Arthur G. James Cancer and Nationwide Children’s Hospitals.
Offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Ed Warinner accompanied six of his O-linemen at Nationwide Children’s — Taylor Decker, Pat Elflein, Jacoby Boren, Billy Price, Chase Farris and Jamarco Jones.
Another larger group, which included players such as Joey Bosa, Adolphus Washington, Tommy Schutt and Joel Hale, visited The James on The Ohio State campus with assistant head coach and defensive line coach Larry Johnson.
“It definitely makes you feel grateful for everything that you have, and kind of puts everything into perspective,” Boren said. “It puts into perspective what’s really important in life. We have a lot of fun coming here and talking to the kids. Seeing a smile on their face, it’s worth it.”
One of the first visits at Nationwide Children’s Hospital was to Aidan Leiberline, who chatted and played a Wii racing game with Boren, Decker and Elflein. The trio also made Aidan an honorary “Slob”, a nickname the Ohio State offensive linemen prefer to call themselves.
“You are now a Buckeye O-Lineman slob,” Decker said to Leiberline, who gave a huge smile and a thumbs up in return.
Players also stopped in the “Teen Room” where they interacted with several youngsters and talked about everything from sports to video games while receiving a few autographs and photos as well.
“It’s a humbling experience because we just come here and visit these kids for 5 to 10 minutes and it makes their day,” Decker said. “It’s not something that’s hard to do, to reach out to kids and give up some of your time. They are stuck inside here, so if we can come and bring some joy to their day, we’re all about it.”
Players also stopped by a special patient’s room to sing happy birthday, drawing emotions and smiles from family members in the room.
“This is my first time coming here,” Elflein said. “The nurses are coming back telling us, `You made their day’. Just knowing that and using our status to be able to do that for others is awesome.”
Farris, who recently spent time in Costa Rica during the “Soles 4 Souls” initiative, also understands the impact he can have on patients and sick children.
“To come out here and have an impact on their lives, lift their spirits and make their day, it’s a blessing to be able to do something like this,” he said.
Price added: “When you come here, it not only brightens their day, but it make you realize how blessed we are as athletes.”
At The James, the team was divided into groups of eight upon arrival to conquer as much of the first-class facility as possible. Overall, the players tackled more than 60 rooms.
One special lady, who the players spent quite a bit of time with, is a longtime season ticket holder. Her face lit up when she described her seats, which are located near the south end zone of Ohio Stadium. Although it takes a bit of an effort to climb the stairs to her seat, she shared she loves having a great view of the team running onto the field before the game and Carmen Ohio at the end.
She made sure to take down all the players’ names and jersey numbers, which was handled in a very organizational manner thanks to Schutt, so she knows whom specifically to root for next season. Her daughter pointed out, “this is the most she has smiled in weeks.”
The players at The James also met with the son of a patient, who was excited to take a photo with the group. When the team was leaving, they spotted the same boy riding his scooter in front of the hospital. Although already boarded and ready to depart, the players opened the van door and called the boy over for another quick chat and a couple high fives.
