Here's a reminder that Peyton Manning is more than a 39-year-old quarterback attempting to return to form under a new head coach.
Manning received a letter this summer from Kari Bollig, an Indiana native who's battling Stage 4 cancer. Her prognosis is not good, so Bollig decided to write a collection of letters to people who have been important to her in her life. She'd never met Manning, but still wanted to reach out to her favorite player.
"I have followed Peyton Manning forever, especially being an Indiana girl," Bollig said, according to a friend's account in The Indianapolis Star. "I just thought, 'Well shoot. I'm going to write him a letter and tell him how much he inspires me, not just because he's a football player, but for what he does off the field.'"
"It was very personal," she continued. "It was very heartfelt and I never thought anything of it other than I wrote it and sent it. I didn't even know he would get it."
"It was real easy and laid back, not at all nerve-wracking," Bollig said of meeting Manning. "He's welcoming. He's like a gentle giant. It was such a personal moment. It was a once in a lifetime thing."
Good job, Sheriff.
