"Save Me a Spot"

"'Save me a spot': A side of Aaron Rodgers you may not know" by Jen Lada of WITI-TV in Milwaukee

.... Monday marked just the most recent case as I had the unparalleled privilege to be a part of Aaron Rodgers charity event to benefit the MACC Fund.

The MACC Fund is one of those incomparable organizations that has the curse of being perpetually under-appreciated. This is by no fault of the dedicated individuals involved with this amazing organization. Simply put, the MACC Fund can never be appreciated enough for the tireless efforts its employees and associates are making to help eradicate childhood cancer and blood disorders.

Scattered throughout the crowd of rabid Packers aficionados were the people who I consider the event's real MVPs. They are the families who've been forced to deal with one of life's toughest sentences - the loss of a child. My interactions with these folks have always been touching, fulfilling and enlightening. Once, a family friend and the father of a teenage girl who passed away after a lengthy battle with the disease told me something that really resonated. Yes, his daughter's death was hard - an excruciating pain that can not be completely comprehended by anyone who's never been in that situation. But he also revealed that his daughter's memory didn't have to be the tragic tale of another countless cancer victim. Instead her legacy was much more joyful - as she was represented by all of the MACC Fund's survivors. The hundreds of thousands of other children who benefited from the research and findings his daughter's passing allowed. It was an unbelievably considerate and profound perspective in the midst of an otherwise heart-wrenching ordeal.

My friend, the father of that young girl who passed, was there that night - enjoying the opportunity to reconnect with many of his MACC Fund family members and revel in the charity's big night. He was one of several attendees brought up on stage where he caught a football thrown by the quarterback of the Green Bay Packers. The evening was already a smashing success for him and his grateful family.

And then he asked Aaron to sign the football he'd caught. He wondered if he'd make it out to his daughter. It isn't shocking that Rodgers obliged. What caught me off guard was the dedication he made. It wasn't until after Aaron left that I first saw the autograph... and the simple yet sweet message that brought tears to this father's eyes: "To Cheri the angel. Save me a spot. - Aaron Rodgers"