Massachusetts
Patriots RB TreVeyon Henderson surprises Massachusetts boy with rare health challenges
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.
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.”
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.
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.
“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.
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.”
“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.

Massachusetts
Massachusetts man accused of wanting sex with girl busted in World Cup trafficking operation
A Massachusetts man who allegedly looked to have sex with a 15-year-old girl and bring drugs and alcohol to the meet-up has been arrested during a crackdown on human trafficking amid the World Cup.
Richard Lallier, 34, of Rehoboth, is one of 13 individuals who face exploitation and trafficking charges stemming from an operation that the FBI Boston has partnered on with the Massachusetts State Police and Rhode Island State Police during the global soccer tournament, dubbed “Operation Red Card.”
“Participating agencies emphasized that while major international sporting events bring significant economic and cultural benefits to host communities,” the Rhode Island State Police said in a statement on Tuesday, “they may also create opportunities for traffickers and those who exploit vulnerable populations.”
“Law enforcement agencies throughout the region remain committed to proactive enforcement efforts designed to deter human trafficking, identify victims, and hold offenders accountable,” the State Police added.
The Rhode Island State Police arrested six individuals, including Lallier, while the Massachusetts State Police apprehended seven suspects during a five-day operation between June 12 and 16.
The suspects arrested in Massachusetts range in age between 21 and 71, all of whom have been arraigned on state charges of sex for a fee with a child under 18, enticement of a child under 16, and attempted rape of a child.
In Rhode Island, Lallier, with a last known address in Rehoboth, is being held without bail on charges of attempted enticement, attempted interstate travel for sexual contact with a minor under 16 years old, and attempted transmission of obscene material to a minor.
Lindsay Laurie, a Rhode Island state trooper who went undercover to operate a Facebook profile that featured “age-regressed images” of herself, said in an affidavit that she informed Lallier via Messenger that he was speaking to a 15-year-old.
In response, Lallier, who went by the name of “Frank Land” on Facebook, allegedly said he was 34 years old before he asked for a “naughty video.”
Lallier also allegedly “sent multiple videos of his penis” to the undercover profile.
Two days later, last Wednesday, Lallier messaged the undercover profile again, explaining that he wanted to find “snow,” a “code word for cocaine,” Laurie stated. Lallier said he would “bring weed and fireball” to a meetup.
Last Friday, after Lallier confirmed to the undercover profile that he arrived in Rhode Island’s Lincoln Woods State Park, authorities arrested him, according to Laurie’s affidavit.
Major international events, such as the World Cup, lead to “large-scale travel” and “increased demand for lodging,” creating “opportunities for criminal exploitation,” according to Michael Soper, the program director of Boston Hotel Watch, an intelligence network connecting hotels and law enforcement.
Soper pointed to the “rapid expansion of short-term rental platforms” in creating a “significant and evolving challenge” to prevent human trafficking since the accommodations often have “less oversight, fewer standardized security protocols, and limited participation in established reporting networks.”
“As a result,” Soper said in a statement shared with the Herald, “illicit activity may occur outside the visibility of hospitality professionals and law enforcement partnerships, making the full scope of the problem difficult to measure.”
Massachusetts
Arlington Nonprofit Receives Statewide Grant Funding
“We are proud to support this remarkable group of nonprofit organizations and the essential work they do across Massachusetts,” Sincere Foundation Executive Director Rebecca Reiner said in a statement. “Their collective impact strengthens communities throughout the Commonwealth and we are honored to help advance their efforts.”
According to the foundation, grant recipients were selected across three focus areas: food security, housing stability, and safe spaces. Organizations receiving support in the food security category alongside Food Link include The Open Door in Gloucester, Worcester County Food Bank, Food For Free, and other nonprofits working to increase access to nutritious food.
Massachusetts
Massachusetts man indicted on murder charge in child’s 2017 death
WORCESTER, MA (WGGB/WSHM) – A Massachusetts man has been indicted in connection with the death of a child.
Laura French, spokesperson for the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office, said 35-year-old Steven Stuart of Auburn was indicted by a grand jury on a murder charge. The charge stems from the 2017 death of seven-year-old Jayden Carlson.
Stuart was convicted in September 2015 on a charge of assault and batter on a child causing serious bodily injury in connection with an August 2012 incident involving Carlson, who was two years old at the time. Stuart was sentenced to six to eight years in state prison for that conviction.
French added that Carlson suffered serious, “life-altering injuries and subsequently experienced ongoing medical complications” following the 2012 incident. Carlson died in December 2017 as a result of those injuries.
Stuart has been arraigned on the indictment and is being held without bail. His next court date is scheduled for July 20.
Copyright 2026 Western Mass News (WGGB/WSHM). All rights reserved.
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