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CNN Live At Daybreak
Carolina Panthers Grant Last Wish of Terminally Ill Girl
Aired January 06, 2004 - 05:25 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: A little girl with a big heart has died of bone cancer. But because of her, 150 seriously ill children just might get their wishes granted.
Reporter Maria Kotula of CNN affiliate WCNC in Charlotte, North Carolina has this amazing story of Hope Stout.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEVIN DONNALLEY, CAROLINA PANTHERS: And she wrote me this thank you and starts it off, "Sorry, the only Panther I can draw is a cute, happy one." And she thinks we're all big, bad, tough football players. And she wrote, "Dear Kevin, I can honestly not thank you enough for meeting me at the game against Tennessee."
MARIA KOTULA, WCNC CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a small letter from a young lady...
DONNALLEY: "And you inspired me to fight even harder now that I know that even the Carolina Panthers are praying for me."
KOTULA: ... that fills the heart of a Panthers' lineman with pride just to have been her friend.
DONNALLEY: It blew me away how a tiny girl that's just 12 years old could have more courage than I think all the football players I've ever known in my whole career and been with, 320 and 350 pound guys that sometimes a bad play happens, they're freaking out on the field. And it's just a game.
KOTULA: Just one day before her death, Hope Stout's story touched the country.
DONNALLEY: She got to see the game. She got to see her picture on TV.
KOTULA: The network pre-game play-off coverage told how Hope was Charlotte's Miracle Child of 2003. When the Make A Wish Foundation asked Hope what her wish was, they got back a wish they'd never heard before.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She turned the question to me and asked me how many kids were waiting for their wishes. And I told her 155.
KOTULA: Hope's wish was that all the other kids' wishes would come true. DONNALLEY: So I had one of my buddies kind of nudge me, and it's the middle of the game, you know, check out the scoreboard up there. They're talking about Hope and the Make A Wish Foundation. And it kind of took me out of the game for a minute and she was able to reach, you know, 70,000 people in the stands that night.
"You're such an inspiration to me. Love, Hope Stout."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: The Make A Wish Foundation has raised $450,000 in Hope's name so far. And next Friday, the Make A Wish Foundation is planning a fundraiser to try to double that amount so that they can fulfill Hope's wish.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired January 6, 2004 - 05:25 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: A little girl with a big heart has died of bone cancer. But because of her, 150 seriously ill children just might get their wishes granted.
Reporter Maria Kotula of CNN affiliate WCNC in Charlotte, North Carolina has this amazing story of Hope Stout.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEVIN DONNALLEY, CAROLINA PANTHERS: And she wrote me this thank you and starts it off, "Sorry, the only Panther I can draw is a cute, happy one." And she thinks we're all big, bad, tough football players. And she wrote, "Dear Kevin, I can honestly not thank you enough for meeting me at the game against Tennessee."
MARIA KOTULA, WCNC CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a small letter from a young lady...
DONNALLEY: "And you inspired me to fight even harder now that I know that even the Carolina Panthers are praying for me."
KOTULA: ... that fills the heart of a Panthers' lineman with pride just to have been her friend.
DONNALLEY: It blew me away how a tiny girl that's just 12 years old could have more courage than I think all the football players I've ever known in my whole career and been with, 320 and 350 pound guys that sometimes a bad play happens, they're freaking out on the field. And it's just a game.
KOTULA: Just one day before her death, Hope Stout's story touched the country.
DONNALLEY: She got to see the game. She got to see her picture on TV.
KOTULA: The network pre-game play-off coverage told how Hope was Charlotte's Miracle Child of 2003. When the Make A Wish Foundation asked Hope what her wish was, they got back a wish they'd never heard before.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She turned the question to me and asked me how many kids were waiting for their wishes. And I told her 155.
KOTULA: Hope's wish was that all the other kids' wishes would come true. DONNALLEY: So I had one of my buddies kind of nudge me, and it's the middle of the game, you know, check out the scoreboard up there. They're talking about Hope and the Make A Wish Foundation. And it kind of took me out of the game for a minute and she was able to reach, you know, 70,000 people in the stands that night.
"You're such an inspiration to me. Love, Hope Stout."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: The Make A Wish Foundation has raised $450,000 in Hope's name so far. And next Friday, the Make A Wish Foundation is planning a fundraiser to try to double that amount so that they can fulfill Hope's wish.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
