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MARSHFIELD - It was all smiles at
Marshfield Children's Hospital on Tuesday, as Green Bay Packers alumni visited
with patients and families during the team's annual statewide tour.
The 2019 Packers Tailgate Tour
made a surprise stop at the hospital. Former Packers Nick Barnett, Earl
Dotson, Ryan Grant, Bernardo Harris, Aaron Kampman and Scott Wells walked the halls of the
hospital, shaking hands with staff members and chatting with patients and
families.
Kampman, who played for
the Packers as a defensive end from 2002 to 2009, said it was a rewarding
experience to meet with the patients and brighten their day a little.
Though the kids do get excited to meet the players, they're all just human, he
said.
"Wearing this jersey
is an honor, but we're just talking people to people," Kampman said.
Dotson, who was a right tackle for the Packers from 1993 to
2002, said seeing the smiles on the kids' faces was amazing.
The message the Packers alumni wanted to
convey to the kids is to keep fighting, but they know the kids
already do that every day, he said.
Barnett, a linebacker for the Packers from
2003 to 2013, echoed that sentiment, saying the kids are inspiring the former
players, not the other way around. Whether they're visiting kids in the
hospital or addressing a gym full of students, Barnett said the effect is the
same.
"You leave there a lot different than when you came
in," he said.
The Packers alumni visited several patients, including Morgan
Hansmann, 13, of Tomahawk. She said the visit meant a lot to her and
helped take her mind off being in the hospital. Though she's hasn't been
to Lambeau Field to see the Packers play, she's hoping to make it there
this fall.
This isn't the first time Packers past or present have visited
the hospital. The Tailgate Tour previously made a stop at Marshfield Children's
Hospital in June 2016, and former Packers linebacker Clay Matthews also visited
patients there last month.
The tour also surprised students at Ben Franklin Junior
High in Stevens Point and Clintonville High School Tuesday. The players will
also make stops in Sparta, New Richmond, Chippewa Falls and Antigo.
Sushma Thapetta, a doctor at the Marshfield Children's Hospital,
said the players brought a little bit of joy, fun and happiness to kids
who are going through something difficult.
"(Something like this) brings joy and excitement to their
little tiny hearts," Thapetta said.
Contact USA TODAY
NETWORK-Wisconsin reporter Melissa Siegler at (715) 345-2249 or msiegler@gannett.com.
Follow her on Twitter at @Marie2Melissa.
