NO.....AND I MEAN NO OTHER ALUMNI AND FANS CAN BE MORE PROUD OF PITT ATTRACTING & COMMITTING JAMES CONNER TO PITT, NOBODY!
If Heisman's Are Chosen By Bigger Hearts None Bigger Than Pitt's Conner!
A Photo says a 1,000 Words!
Pitt running back James Conner visits Ian Malesiewski, a wrestler at Erie Cathedral Prep, at the Children's Institute in Squirrel Hill. Malesiewski was paralyzed from the neck down after a wrestling accident in June.
Excerpt:
James Conner was tired, even a little sore, as he left Pitt's practice facility after another 14-hour day that's typical during training camp.
Darkness crept over the South Side. Conner knew bed check arrived in less than two hours. Yet he wasn't going home. He had someone to see, something to do that was more important than even football.
In the midst of preparations for the most significant season of his career, Conner, the Panthers' star running back and co-captain, found time for Ian Malesiewski, a 16-year-old he didn't know until a month ago. Malesiewski lies in a bed in the Children's Institute in Squirrel Hill, paralyzed from the chest down with some movement in his arms after a freak wrestling accident in June.
........................
Malesiewski's mother, Halli Reid, admits she was stunned and admittedly a bit leery when Conner expressed an interest in visiting her son.
“College football players have a certain persona,” she said. “But he was so kind and loving and heartfelt.”
She said Conner has made five trips to the institute, eating meals and chatting with Malesiewski while helping him keep up with social media.
“He'll text me when he can't come,” Reid said, “and ask, ‘How's my guy doing?' ”
..............
The story of Conner and Malesiewski wouldn't surprise the folks at Hillman Cancer Center in Shadyside, where Conner received 12 chemotherapy treatments this year. Many of those people, including UPMC oncologist Dr. Stanley Marks, will be Conner's guests at Pitt's opener Saturday at Heinz Field, seated in the first row of the student section.
Marks said Conner was unlike most patients he has treated. Conner wanted nothing to do with the privacy Marks offered. Conner insisted upon sitting among the other patients — most of whom were much older than him — and sharing his story.
“He was waging a battle similar to them,” Marks said. “Honestly, he was an inspiration to many of those patients and helped them get through their darkest times. I found that atypical for an athlete who is so highly visible in the public eye.”
...................
“It will be emotional because there was always a chance I wouldn't play football again,” Conner said, noting his parents, four brothers and grandparents will be in the stands.
He said people he doesn't know have tweeted him, saying, “I'm going to cry when you come out of the tunnel.”
But he said he won't let the situation overwhelm him.
“I can't just think about myself,” he said. “We have to win the game.”
LINK:
http://triblive.com/sports/college/pitt/11027488-74/conner-pitt-malesiewski
If Heisman's Are Chosen By Bigger Hearts None Bigger Than Pitt's Conner!
A Photo says a 1,000 Words!
Pitt running back James Conner visits Ian Malesiewski, a wrestler at Erie Cathedral Prep, at the Children's Institute in Squirrel Hill. Malesiewski was paralyzed from the neck down after a wrestling accident in June.
Excerpt:
James Conner was tired, even a little sore, as he left Pitt's practice facility after another 14-hour day that's typical during training camp.
Darkness crept over the South Side. Conner knew bed check arrived in less than two hours. Yet he wasn't going home. He had someone to see, something to do that was more important than even football.
In the midst of preparations for the most significant season of his career, Conner, the Panthers' star running back and co-captain, found time for Ian Malesiewski, a 16-year-old he didn't know until a month ago. Malesiewski lies in a bed in the Children's Institute in Squirrel Hill, paralyzed from the chest down with some movement in his arms after a freak wrestling accident in June.
........................
Malesiewski's mother, Halli Reid, admits she was stunned and admittedly a bit leery when Conner expressed an interest in visiting her son.
“College football players have a certain persona,” she said. “But he was so kind and loving and heartfelt.”
She said Conner has made five trips to the institute, eating meals and chatting with Malesiewski while helping him keep up with social media.
“He'll text me when he can't come,” Reid said, “and ask, ‘How's my guy doing?' ”
..............
The story of Conner and Malesiewski wouldn't surprise the folks at Hillman Cancer Center in Shadyside, where Conner received 12 chemotherapy treatments this year. Many of those people, including UPMC oncologist Dr. Stanley Marks, will be Conner's guests at Pitt's opener Saturday at Heinz Field, seated in the first row of the student section.
Marks said Conner was unlike most patients he has treated. Conner wanted nothing to do with the privacy Marks offered. Conner insisted upon sitting among the other patients — most of whom were much older than him — and sharing his story.
“He was waging a battle similar to them,” Marks said. “Honestly, he was an inspiration to many of those patients and helped them get through their darkest times. I found that atypical for an athlete who is so highly visible in the public eye.”
...................
“It will be emotional because there was always a chance I wouldn't play football again,” Conner said, noting his parents, four brothers and grandparents will be in the stands.
He said people he doesn't know have tweeted him, saying, “I'm going to cry when you come out of the tunnel.”
But he said he won't let the situation overwhelm him.
“I can't just think about myself,” he said. “We have to win the game.”
LINK:
http://triblive.com/sports/college/pitt/11027488-74/conner-pitt-malesiewski
