PAOLI, Pa. (WPVI) — When Zach Ertz walked into a class at St. Norbert’s in Paoli Thursday the students couldn’t believe it.
In fact, one young lady had to ask, “Is this real?”
Ertz laughed and said of course it was real.
But this wasn’t just a random classroom visit for the Pro Bowl tight end to just sign a lot of autographs and make a lot of kids happy.
Ertz visited St. Norbert’s to see his fan, 8-year-old JD Sobota.
Unfortunately, the boy has a rare condition that causes blood vessels in his brain to tangle.
While having treatment in California at Stanford University, which is Ertz’s alma mater, Sobota’s nurses reached out to JD’s favorite player through Twitter and he obliged.
During the visit, Ertz delivered Sobota with an autographed game jersey. He even talked about some of his most intimate secrets.
During Q & A, Sobota asked, “Did you feel your head would explode when you scored the winning touchdown in Super Bowl?”
Ertz laughed and said, “Of course. It almost exploded for sure.”
Then the whole school formed a tunnel for JD to run through with Ertz right behind him.
Ertz says checking in on one of his biggest fans was the least he could do.
“Just trying to give him some hope and love. Obviously he’s going through a lot. But he’s got that positive outlook and his family is amazing people,” said Ertz.
But Sobota’s dad says he’s most grateful for St. Norbert’s.
They’ve given so much support and even recently raised $7,600 for his treatment during their Catholic Schools week.
Joe Sobota said, “All of his school was cheering for him once again today and this is a great memory he’ll be able to think back on.”
Read original article here.