HOUSTON -- Back in January, Brooke Wolcott and her parents bought tickets to Sunday afternoon’s Thunder game in Houston against the Rockets. Other than getting to see her favorite team in action just two-and-a-half hours away from her hometown of Warren, Tex., Brooke had no expectations of anything else happening on her trip.
Just days after buying the tickets, however, something incredible happened. A friend posted on Facebook, pleading on the 17-year-old Wolcott’s behalf to reach Kevin Durant. Diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, a genetic respiratory and digestive disorder, Wolcott faces the same reality as those who suffer with her, but all she wanted was to find a platform to raise awareness for the condition, and hopefully more support for finding a cure.
Durant is not only Wolcott’s favorite NBA player on her favorite NBA team, but in this situation more than anything he’s a human being with an enormous platform to affect change. As soon as the request made its way through the social media grapevine to Durant, he sprang into action. The Thunder was in Los Angeles, and over Instagram, Durant pledged to sign his game-worn shoes from the game that night and send them to Wolcott, and in the process helped raise awareness for the deadly disease. Days later, the shoes arrived in Warren, much to the glee of Brooke and her family.
Fast forward to Sunday afternoon in Houston, when, unbeknownst to Durant, the Wolcott’s long-ago purchased seats were just a dozen rows away from the Thunder bench. A team staffer happened to pass by and recognize Wolcott in the crowd, and just like that, after the game, Brooke had the opportunity to meet Durant for the first time. Waiting anxiously outside the Thunder locker room, the Wolcott’s beamed when Durant and his teammates emerged.
“It was so exciting. I love watching them play. I’ve seen them a couple of times, but this time tops it all,” Wolcott said.
Durant and the Wolcott’s hugged and chatted, laughing over their serendipitous encounter in Houston and reminiscing about the social media connection made in January. After taking some photos and visiting for a bit, it was time for Durant to hop on the team bus and the airport, and for the Wolcott’s to head back to Warren, with an even higher appreciation for the type of person Durant truly is.
“It’s unbelievable. The amount of support he’s given me is crazy,” Wolcott said. “I couldn’t believe it. It’s Kevin Durant, you know? I never thought it would happen. The fact that he reached out and did that, I’m grateful.”