There was fan-demonium at Miller Children’s Hospital last Thursday as NFL tight end Tony Gonzalez delivered therapy dolls, or “buddies” to the hospital’s patients. The dolls, known as Shadow Buddies, were designed in Gonzalez’s likeness and are for educational and emotional support for the children.
Nearly 100 of the smiling buddies were given to pediatric patients as Gonzalez visited kids both bedside and in the hospital’s playrooms. Boys and girls of all ages came up to receive the NFL player’s gift as he made a personal appearance with his own family. Each buddy was dressed in a Kansas City Chiefs print hospital gown with Gonzalez’s name and jersey number screened on the back, as well as a mini football attached. Gonzalez also personally autographed each buddy he handed out.
An off-season tradition, Gonzalez, along with his mother Judy, had been making such visits to his home town of Long Beach for the last five years.
