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Peyton Manning Treats Woman Dying Of Cancer To Game After Receiving Heartfelt Letter

DENVER (CBS4) - Peyton Manning treated a woman dying of cancer to one of his games after reading her heartfelt letter.

Kari Barnet Bollig has Stage 4 breast cancer and doesn't know how long she has left to live, as reported by Indianapolis Star.

"It was very personal. 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," Bollig told the Indianapolis Star.

Peyton not only received the letter, he treated Bollig and her husband to the season opener against the Ravens. The trip also included sideline passes, a tour of the team facility, and a chance to watch the team practice.

And last but not least -- a very personal meet-and-greet.

"He walked right over after he got his picture taken," she said. "It was so sweet because he shakes my hand and says, 'I'm Peyton Manning.' It was cute. It was kind of like, 'I know who you are, Peyton.'"

In an editorial in the Indianapolis Star, a childhood friend of Bollig's spoke out about Manning's unforgettable kindness and how it will forever change her perception of the athlete.

"I never felt a particular genuineness about you. I felt more of a robotic aloofness. I'm not sure why. I know now that was my problem, not yours. But I want to tell you something. I do love you now. I love you for what you did for my childhood friend from Greenfield, Ind., who is dying of breast cancer," Star reporter Dana Benbow wrote.

As the trip came to an end, Manning told Bollig to, "Keep fighting, Kari. I'll be praying for you."

"Thank you, Peyton Manning, for doing what you did. We're all hoping those prayers work," Benbow ended her piece with.

 

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