UPDATE: January 24, 2014:
After receiving an inspirational letter from a hearing-impaired girl congratulating him on his win, Seattle Seahawks running back Derrick Coleman, also hearing-impaired, wrote back to Riley Kovalcik in what is probably the sweetest story of the year thus far.
On Wednesday, Coleman tweeted back the handwritten note of his own thanking his new friend for her kind words.
“Even though we wear hearing aids,” he said, “we can still accomplish our goals and dreams.”
Read it below:
SOURCE: Buzzfeed, Twitter
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As Seattle Seahawks running back Derrick Coleman Jr. heads to the Super Bowl, one of his biggest fans wrote him a special letter of encouragement.
According to the Daily Mail, a hearing-impaired girl named Riley Kovalcik was inspired by Coleman, who has been deaf since he was three, beating the odds when he became the first deaf offensive player in the NFL. After seeing Coleman in a Duracell commercial with her father and twin sister (who is also hearing-impaired), she wrote him a touching letter that has since gone viral. Her father, Jake Kovalcik, tweeted the letter to Coleman on Monday.
@Seahawks @DC2forlife you’ve inspired my little girls in a way I never could. THANK YOU! #Seahawks #SuperBowlXLVIII pic.twitter.com/lhpJfCPOSD
— jake kovalcik (@JakeIsMobile) January 21, 2014
“Dear (my insperation) Derrick Coleman, I know how you feel. I also have hearing aids. Just try your best. I have faf in you Derrick good job on January 20th game. Go seattle seahawks! Here are some things we have in common I where two hearing aids. I like sports. other things are I’m a identical twin and my twin where’s one hearing aid too!”
The letter was retweeted by Coleman, and the girls couldn’t be more excited. Their father told reporters that he’s happy that Coleman can inspire his 9-year-olds in a way that he couldn’t.
“He inspired my daughters but it’s a great thing he’s doing not just for hearing impaired kids or kids with other disabilities, he’s showing all kids that if you work hard and you dedicate yourself whatever deficiencies you have, you can be great. I wanted to thank him.”
Kleenex please!!
SOURCE: Daily Mail | PHOTO CREDIT: Twitter
