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                                       Weslye Saunders and Rayah Gasior

Weslye Saunders couldn’t do anything but stand and watch as Rayah Gasior was dead on with every bean bag she threw. One after another she was right on target, and the more she hit them, the more excited the tiny seven-year old would get.

“I nicknamed her one more time,” joked Saunders. “Every time she finished she wanted to go ahead one more time. All the kids whipped me pretty bad. And I didn’t let them win. It’s a lot of fun. These kids are so energetic and full of life. It rubs off on you.”

Gasior was one of the patients who enjoyed a fun-filled afternoon playing games and doing arts and crafts with Steelers rookies during a visit to Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh at UPMC.

“It’s good being able to hang out with the kids and be around them,” said cornerback Cortez Allen, taking a breather from getting beat at Connect 4. “We are blessed to do what we do. To give back like this is truly amazing.  It’s a tremendous opportunity. Given our position it’s our duty to give back and put smiles on kid’s faces.”

While Saunders and Allen were taking a beating at the games, running back John Clay was busy with arts and crafts, even making a cutout mini-jersey of his own.

“It brings me back to being little again, making whatever comes to mind,” said Clay. “It’s real humbling. Being blessed the way we are, to come here and show love to the kids it makes them happy and makes us happy.”

Nine-year old Ryan Samuelson, who is from Western New York, looked ready for game day decked out in a Steelers uniform, complete with a helmet, and was beaming as he met the players. 

“It breaks up the monotony,” said his mother Dawn Samuelson. “We have been here for a long time. He has been at this hospital for over nine years. He is a multi-organ transplant recipient. Pittsburgh is his world. This is so nice these guys come out and do this. We spend a lot of time just sitting in the room doing nothing, so this is really special.”

During the visit the kids don’t talk about why they are there, don’t focus on the aches and pains, but instead just get to be kids.  

“This is really something the kids look forward to all year,” said Ashley Van Alen, the hospital’s special events coordinator. “The kids are thrilled. It makes their year in some cases. The kids are sometimes here long-term and they look forward to this event all year long. It’s tremendous to have them here today.

“I would say it’s priceless. This is irreplaceable. This kind of medicine takes them out of their world and it means the world to them. It takes them away from procedures and pain and takes them to a fun place. It means everything to these kids.”

It wasn’t just the kids who it meant a lot to. The players also walked away feeling great.

“It’s an amazing experience,” said linebacker Chris Carter. “You see these kids, they just want to have a little bit of fun and they might not get the opportunity because they are in here getting healthy. To come out here and put smiles on their faces, really they put smiles on our faces.    

“It’s a blessing. Every day I wake up and am thankful for what God has provided for me. I am grateful for the opportunity to do stuff like this and be in the position to spend time with them, and learn about them. They are so unique in a positive way and you can learn from them, how to be positive, be happy.”

Cornerback Curtis Brown was making the rounds from game to game, talking to the kids and signing autographs, and smiling from ear to ear, something he wasn’t sure the experience would allow for.     

“This is exciting for us,” said Brown. “It’s a good experience for us to go through and help these kids have a good time. Everyone is enjoying themselves. I am just excited to be here.

“I thought I would be sad to come here at first, but seeing how much joy you put in their life is enlightening me. I would never think we could make someone feel this good. They have hard times, but have smiles on their faces. It makes our worries secondary compared to anything. I am happy to be here. It’s indescribable.”