Wish-recipient Lauren Santora had a great weekend. Her dream came true meeting Alex Ovechkin. She scored on Braden Holtby, a goal that was eventually narrated by voice of the Caps, John Walton.
And that was just Friday. On Saturday, the eight-year-old suffering from type 1 diabetes, was honored at the Caps/Lightning game. Well, if you call getting snowed by Tom Wilson an honor (which she probably would).
I’m guessing it was retaliation for this comment.
“She actually said she was taking my spot on the right wing with Nicky and Ovi,” Tom Wilson, who Lauren nicknamed “Wreck-It Ralph,” said to NBC Washington Friday with a laugh.
All joking aside, Santora got the royal treatment from the Caps. She got to throw pucks onto the ice during warm-ups, high-five the players coming out of the locker room, ride the zamboni (I’m sorry, OLYMPUS ICE SURFACING MACHINE), and even get interviewed by Joe Beninati.
Here are some GIFs recapping her evening.
My heart is melting. The interview between Beninati and Santora was so great. She denounced the Bruins and raved in the cutest way possible about her experience Friday.
Wish-recipient Lauren Santora on skating with the #Caps yesterday: "On a scale from 1-10, it was a 110." pic.twitter.com/vpzHgINlem
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) December 14, 2014
@ianoland that was Joe's best ever interview
— Alan May (@AlanMay_16) December 14, 2014
Lauren got the experience of a lifetime these last two days, but it’s me who is thankful for being able to witness it. She is a teeny-tiny inspiration to me for how she handles this bad deck of cards she’s been dealt in life: with enthusiasm and optimism. It’s an example we should all take to heart when we gripe about how bad our own lives are sometimes.
It’s really not so bad.
