(CNN) — Kayren Spain, 81, describes herself as a “football fanatic.”
Since the early days of her childhood growing up in Alabama, the sport has been a consistent theme in her life. From Johnny Unitas to Cam Newton, she has always had an affinity for quarterbacks.
But none have been greater than her obsession with Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs.
After discovering Mahomes through a video of Henry Winkler meeting him, she fell in love with Mahomes’ wit in interviews and his skills on the field. Spain said she loves his humility, appreciates he is not a showboater but most importantly, “He plays ball like I have never seen.”
Elizabeth Carter, one of Spain’s daughters, said her mother has always been a deeply passionate person.
“She was very passionate about her motherhood and creating a home for her kids,” Carter said.
Spain goes the extra mile as a fan. A few years ago, she took up sewing and has started to make her own Mahomes-themed clothing.
And her devotion to the quarterback led her to create the goal of meeting him before she “croaks.”
A dedicated campaign
Inspired by Mahomes and Winkler’s friendship, formed after the celebrities met on the sidelines of a Chiefs game, Spain launched a social media campaign in February 2023 to gather attention toward her dream of meeting her favorite athlete.
She began posting daily videos on several social media platforms, with the hope she would one day meet her idol in person. Her family immediately began cheering her on.
What surprised Kim Carter, another of Spain’s daughters, was how devoted she was to the campaign. Spain had previously posted videos to her YouTube channel showcasing some of her watercolor paintings but she had little experience filming. In real time, Spain learned how to take videos of herself and post them to different platforms. “What 80-year-old do you know that’s figuring out technology like that?” Kim Carter asked.
Spain’s enthusiasm only grew as she showcased her Mahomes memorabilia collection and elaborate custom clothing pieces.
Then, her online devotion caught the eyes of Randi Mahomes, Patrick Mahomes’ mother, who commented on one of her Instagram posts.
Later in the year, Spain and her family traveled to Kansas City to watch the Chiefs play in Arrowhead Stadium. Spain had posted the morning of the game she would be in a specific section, and Randi Mahomes later came by to meet her and they took several photos together.
Spain continued to avidly follow the quarterback, posting paintings and new Chiefs memorabilia on her social media accounts from time to time.
When her daughter, Kim Carter, filmed a documentary for her son’s wedding, Spain mentioned she wanted a documentary of her own. Elizabeth Carter and Kim Carter decided they would take their mother to the Chiefs training camp and make a documentary out of it.
On August 2, 2024, Spain and her daughters arrived at the Chiefs training camp in St. Joseph, Missouri, for Quarterback Autograph Day, hoping their mother would be able to meet her idol. The training camp was packed with thousands of people who had all come to watch Mahomes practice for the upcoming NFL season.
The kindness of strangers
As Spain waded through the crowd, she met several fans and told them her story. The fans helped Spain get close to the best part of the stands to get an autograph from one of the players. A generous Chiefs fan who had camped out the night before gave her seat to Spain after hearing her story.
When the practice ended, Mahomes walked up to the stands, straight toward the section where Spain was sitting.
There, in the grandstands, the star quarterback and his super fan met at last.
The two had a brief conversation as he signed two of Spain’s watercolor paintings and acknowledged his mother had previously told him about her.
Her daughters never lost faith Spain would be able to fulfill her dream. Spain’s enthusiasm and devotion led her to never giving up hope she would achieve her goal. “It never works out exactly how you think it’s gonna happen but never stop dreaming,” Spain said.
For Kim Carter, the heartwarming event has changed her outlook on how she approaches the generosity of strangers. “I will always trust the kindness of strangers and I will never doubt life’s working out that things can synchronously pop up.”
After the excitement of the day, Spain was back on Instagram and told her followers, “Dreams really do come true.”
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