Tom Brady draws inspiration after meeting with Make-A-Wish teen heart transplant recipient at Fanatics Fest

Eli Griffith sat successful a greenish country successful the bowels of the Javits Center successful Manhattan connected the archetypal time of Fanatics Fest waiting anxiously alongside his family.

The Griffith household – begetter Joe, parent Jamie, and sister Ava – had been waiting each time for Eli to conscionable his favourite athlete, the 1 whose sanction rested atop their Michigan Wolverines and New England Patriots jerseys.

Tom Brady.

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Eli Griffith got to conscionable his idol, legendary NFL backmost Tom Brady, astatine Fanatics Fest arsenic portion of the Fanatics and Make-A-Wish partnership. (Fanatics/Make-A-Wish)

Fox News Digital was capable to talk with Eli and his household anterior to gathering Brady arsenic portion of Fanatics and Make-A-Wish’s partnership, which continues to present once-in-a-lifetime moments. Eli was "totally" tense aft being asked astir gathering his idol, but helium besides felt similar determination is simply a "mutual connection" owed to their roots successful Ann Arbor, Michigan – wherever Brady’s stardom roseate with the Wolverines earlier reaching the "G.O.A.T" presumption Eli pointed retired successful the NFL.

"As the time has been going, it’s conscionable much and much surreal. It’s similar this is the clip it’s happening, and I conscionable ideate him walking successful the door," Eli said.

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The infinitesimal yet came wherever Brady opened that door, and the household shared the prime clip unneurotic they’ve been looking guardant to each day.

Brady caught up with Fox News Digital aft the meeting, wherever Eli, who’s already showing his writer chops successful precocious school, had immoderate questions to inquire the legendary quarterback.

"He didn’t privation to beryllium a journalist. He said, ‘I americium a journalist!’ I said, ‘Absolutely, you support going,’" Brady said, smiling. "He had 7 questions for me, and a batch of amusive ones. He decidedly enactment a batch of clip and thought into it, and helium asked a batch of bully questions. A fewer of them I’ve ne'er been asked before."

Tom Brady attends Fanatics Fest NYC 2026 astatine Jacob Javits Center successful New York City connected July 16, 2026. (John Nacion/Getty Images for Fanatics)

A candid interview, immoderate autographs, and having a drawback with the full family, Brady made Eli’s privation travel existent successful the champion way. But the Griffith household should cognize that Eli’s communicative serves arsenic inspiration for Brady arsenic well.

"When I was a player, we did a batch of it astir shot grooming campy and we had a batch of large wishes implicit the years," Brady explained. "Just emotion being capable to interaction people’s lives successful a affirmative way. A batch of these radical are dealt with challenging situations – families and kids. But they person the brightest spirts and the biggest hearts, and it’s conscionable astonishing to conscionable them, gully inspiration. They deliberation they’re drafting inspiration from america – I deliberation it really goes the different way."

At 14, Eli was diagnosed with an antithetic bosom condition. He had a dilated cardiomyopathy connected 1 broadside of his heart, and ventricular non-compaction connected the different side. It was a uncommon familial mutation that went undetected until helium was a teenager.

As a result, Eli needed a bosom transplant astatine C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital successful Ann Arbor.

Eli Griffith received a bosom transplant aft a familial mutation was recovered astatine 14 years old. Eli, successful bully spirits successful the hospital, shows disconnected his Tom Brady Michigan cards. (Joe Griffith)

During his clip successful the hospital, Brady was shown a representation of Eli with a clump of trading cards from his Michigan days dispersed crossed his chest, which Brady called "pretty awesome."

And portion Brady was an inspiration, truthful was the full Wolverines shot squad arsenic Eli and his household battled done their situation.

"The Michigan shot squad really stepped up a batch erstwhile helium was successful the hospital. Players came and visited him," Joe Griffith said. "Charles Woodson gave a shoutout. We had a transportation someway done Jim Harbaugh, and we got a telephone connection from Harbaugh arsenic good arsenic the punter from the Chargers [JK Scott]. In the [Michigan] locker room, the players did a small dependable connection to Eli. All of this, kept his spirits high. Kept america excited astir things, similar aft helium had surgery, these 3 freshmen were going to travel from the squad and sojourn him afterwards. The full happening had a batch of ups and downs, but comparative to experiences a batch of radical have, our lows were not arsenic debased arsenic they could’ve been."

It was the eventual precocious for the Griffith household arsenic they spent clip with Brady, but it lone continued connected the Fanatics Fest level aft their introduction. Eli was close adjacent to Brady tossing retired trading paper packs astatine CardVault by Tom Brady, portion they each had a front-row spot to Brady dunking 1 of his favourite teammates of all-time, Rob Gronkowski, successful a dunk vessel filled with Raising Cane’s sauce.

Todd Graves, Rob Gronkowski and Tom Brady be Fanatics Fest NYC 2026 astatine Jacob Javits Center connected July 16, 2026, successful New York City. (Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for Fanatics)

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The acquisition of a beingness for a household that has been done struggle, but ne'er wavered successful tone and hope.

"There’s a batch of radical digging heavy successful life, and we each look our ain unsocial challenges and he’s a large kid. What a large spirit," Brady said.

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