When Gayle Ricketts of Evansville, Ind., wrote to Peyton Manning about how much he meant to her late grandson, she had no idea she’d receive a response a few months later.
Logan Brown, Ricketts’ 15-year-old grandson, was killed in March in a head-on collision with a drunk driver whose blood alcohol level was four times the legal limit, per WFIE-TV. Ricketts sent Manning, whom Logan idolized, a letter about his story, and Tuesday, the Denver Broncos quarterback sent the family a handwritten letter and an autographed photo on what would have been Logan’s 16th birthday.
“It blew me away,” Ricketts told WFIE. “I called (Logan’s father) Charles (Brown) when the letter came. I didn’t even open it. I called Charles to come over. I said the Broncos answered me.”
Manning gave the family his condolences in his letter and said how honored he was that Logan was a fan. And now, the family has a gift they’ll remember forever.
“To take the time to send something back to a situation in Evansville, Ind., that he probably doesn’t know anything about,” Brown said. “It’s important to see that they’re humans and for these other kids to see you never forget where you come from.”
Thumbnail photo via Chris Humphreys/USA TODAY Sports Images
