Reading Hospital pediatric patients get an NFL surprise
Brandon George slowly lowered his massive frame, taking a knee beside a small hospital bed to reach the level of the small boy in it. The 6-foot, 3-inch, 240-pound NFL linebacker spoke with a softness and calm that contradicted his imposing figure and violent profession. He smiled gently as he quietly asked 4-year-old Ezekiel Caudillo-Santos a handful of questions.
He asked him his name. He asked if he played any sports. He asked what cartoon he was watching on the TV that hung just past the foot of the bed.
Ezekiel, however, proved to be a tough crowd. The little boy didn’t utter a word. Not even when George placed an autographed mini football beside him on his bed.
George was undaunted. The former star at Berks Catholic High School and current Kansas City Chief moved on to the next room, looking for another opportunity to spread a little joy. After all, that was the whole reason he had stopped by Reading Hospital on Monday afternoon.
The 25-year-old George, who was named the Reading Eagle’s 2019 male Athlete of the Year before starring at the University of Pittsburgh and making it into the NFL, spent time meeting with each and every young patient in the hospital’s pediatrics wing. “I just wanted to give back to the community a little bit,” he said. Having grown up in Reading, George is quite familiar with the hospital.