Stuck at Boston Children’s Hospital, facing unimaginable health challenges, a 12-year-old Chelmsford boy received hope from Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson.
Henderson sent a video to Jack Jolie, rooting for the bubbly youngster to overcome all the obstacles stacked up against him. It was just 10 seconds, but Jack says the message means the world to him.
“What’s up, Jack? TreVeyon Henderson here, man,” the promising rookie says in the video. “Man, I hope you get better. I just want to let you know that I am praying for you, man. God bless, man.”
Jack received the video on Jan. 2. Eleven days later, he was discharged from the hospital and headed home. The boy will soon be evaluated for a liver transplant, as he is battling internal bleeding from portal hypertension.
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On Sunday, Jack and his entire family will have their eyes glued to the television as the Patriots face the Seahawks in Super Bowl LX. This is New England’s first championship game that Jack will fully remember, and he hopes that Henderson, his favorite player, “finds the outside” for a long rushing touchdown.
Win or lose, Jack says he will always root for Henderson and that the running back may not be aware of the full magnitude of his video of encouragement.
“It helps me a lot,” Jack told the Herald via phone ahead of Super Bowl weekend. “I know that they are there for me, and I know that everyone is here for me. It definitely is big.”
Jack’s mother, Meghan Jolie, says her son has the “best support system there is,” with a large family, a big group of friends, and “really understanding” teachers. The network has grown to include Henderson and the Patriots organization.
“It kind of brings it full circle,” the mother said of Henderson’s video. “It doesn’t take much to help, especially with these celebrity athletes. For them, to say ‘Send a 15-second video,’ hopefully it doesn’t take a whole lot out of their day to do, but it really meant a lot going through this type of time.”
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As a 2-year-old in 2015, Jack was diagnosed with a rare form of severe combined immunodeficiency, which doctors describe as a life-threatening genetic disorder where infants are born with little to no immune system.
Jack then received a bone marrow transplant to combat the diagnosis, but his immune system rejected it. Over the years, the youngster has suffered from symptoms of graft-versus-host disease: scarring issues with his eyes, lung and liver disease, among others, his mother said.
Over the past few months, Jack has been admitted to Boston Children’s Hospital several times and spent time in between the intensive care unit and regular care. He was home less than a handful of nights between Dec. 20 and Jan. 13.
“It’s a lot of waiting and seeing,” Meghan Jolie told the Herald. “We take every day as it comes, deal with what we have to, and figure it out.”
Through it all, Jack has turned into a Patriots superfan. He watches more games than not, even when hospitalized, and has become knowledgeable about football and the NFL.
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Proof: “I am really shocked by how much Mike Vrabel was able to change the team from four wins,” Jack said of New England’s head coach. “Now, they are in the stinkin’ Super Bowl.”
“The best part is that we have beaten a lot of great defenses,” the youngster said of the Patriots’ Super Bowl run, becoming the first team in NFL history to defeat three top-five defenses. “If we just get rolling in the beginning, we have a chance to win this one and get banner 7 here in Foxboro.”
Jack and his family attended the Week 15 loss to Buffalo. Despite New England’s 10-game winning streak ending, the young fan gained an ultimate VIP gameday experience, including club seats and pregame field passes.
Jack’s mother’s boyfriend, William DiTullio, applied for the opportunity, with the Patriots selecting the family for the experience.
While on the field, star cornerback Christian Gonzalez spotted Jack and threw a ball over to him. The family then went over by the tunnel where the Patriots are introduced, and Jack tried his best to get Henderson’s attention, but couldn’t.
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“Jack has a very big personality, but his voice didn’t quite travel,” his mother said, chuckling.
In the loss, Henderson recorded two rushing touchdowns of over 50 yards. “We were going wild,” Meghan Jolie said.
Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez tosses a ball to superfan Jack Jolie before a Week 15 game against Buffalo at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro. (Contributed/Jolie family)
Days after the game, Jack was admitted to the hospital. DiTullio shared Jack’s story with Stacey James, asking the Patriots’ vice president of communications whether Henderson could send Jack a little video.
A few days later, James emailed DiTullio, saying, “Hopefully this will brighten Jack’s spirits and let him know that we’re all thinking about him.”
“That stuff always thrills me,” DiTullio said of the video. “I just feel like there’s not a lot of that in the world today, and too many people are just self-absorbed.”
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“They could have easily just taken the request,” he added, “and said, ‘We get a dozen of these a day, we can’t fulfill them all.’ I know how much he loves TreVeyon.”
Jack quickly responded to Henderson’s message, thanking him for the video.
“It really meant a lot, and I hope you guys have fun and do your best in the playoffs. … Maybe once I get out of Boston Children’s Hospital, we can maybe meet up sometime and play catch just because you’re my favorite player.”
Henderson responded to the video with a message on X the evening before the Patriots’ Divisional Round game against the Texans: “Glad you are headed home Jack! God bless,” the running back wrote.
Jack Jolie is a Patriots superfan and faces unimaginable health challenges. (Contributed/Jolie family)
CHELMSFORD, MASS. (WHDH) – A wrong-way driver crashed into another vehicle on I-495 in Chelmsford Tuesday night, shutting down the soundbound lanes in that area, according to Massachusetts State Police and The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT).
State police said Troopers from the Concord Barracks responded to a two-car crash on I-495 at the Hunt Road overpass shortly before 10 p.m. They said preliminary information indicates the crash happened as a result of a wrong-way driver striking a vehicle traveling in the correct direction.
Chelmsford Fire and EMS responded to the scene, and the driver was taken to the hospital by MedFlight. State police said they suffered life-threatening injuries.
MassDOT said the highway southbound is currently closed at exit 88 due to the crash, and is expected to remain closed for several hours.
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Drivers are asked to seek alternate routes at this time.
This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.
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Two people were seriously injured in a stabbing at the Cedar’s Mediterranean Foods manufacturing facility in Haverhill, Massachusetts, on Tuesday morning.
Haverhill police said they responded to the Cedar’s plan on Foundation Avenue around 10:30 a.m. for a report of a disturbance involving a weapon. When they arrived, they found two people suffering from apparent stab wounds.
Both people were provided with medical assistance on scene and taken to area hospitals with what police described as serious injuries. Their names have not been released, and no update on their conditions was immediately available.
Preliminary investigation determined that the two people knew each other, and police said there is no ongoing threat to the public. They said their investigation into the incident remains active.
Two Plymouth, Massachusetts teens were saved from the summit of Mount Washington after a leg injury stranded them.
Khang Nguyen,17, said he and his friend, 18-year-old Vaughn Webb, thought they were well prepared for their hike on Saturday. They brought trekking poles, layers, microspikes for their boots and more.
But halfway up the trail, Nguyen feared the worst when his leg began to hurt.
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“It was just incredibly painful to lift up my right leg,” he explained. “I told [Vaughn] to leave me behind so I could go on my own pace and for him to reach the summit to get help at first.”
The pair managed to reach the top of the mountain but had to seek shelter next to a building as wind gusts increased, and the air temperature reached 38 degrees. Nguyen said they also ran out of food and water. The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department received the 911 call around 7:30 p.m. and quickly alerted a State Park employee who began to search for the two teens.
“Conservation Officers then began responding in four-wheel-drive pickup trucks to try and get to the summit and back ahead of incoming snow,” the game department said in a statement.
After around 30 minutes of reaching both Webb and Nguyen were found. They were taken inside a building and Nguyen was being treated for his injury.
“The worker that was up there, [said] that they came in record time, and we appreciate their help a lot. It saved our lives potentially,” Nguyen explained.
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The pair was successfully taken off the mountain by 10 p.m. The two teens are now safely back in Massachusetts and are incredibly grateful to their rescuers.