Detroit Lions fans are amazing!
From the moment news broke that Matthew Stafford had requested to be traded, a plethora of fans have logged on to one of Matthew and Kelly’s favorite charities to make $9 donations.
In fact, as of Tuesday, over 1,500 fans have raised over $20,000 for the Acoustic Neuroma Association.
“This kind of awareness is huge for us. It really is huge for us,” said Melissa Baumbick, director of outreach and development for the Acoustic Neuroma Association. “So just being able to get the word out there so that doctors are aware of it and can diagnose it correctly and we don’t have misdiagnoses and also so patients are aware of it. And even so far as Kelly has talked about sort of the things that she’s dealt with following her surgery, because there are sometimes things that become chronic conditions and go on following surgery that become sort of life-changing issues for people moving forward.
“Most patients lose some hearing; some patients lose all hearing in one ear. So that becomes something that they have to deal with moving forward, so having that sort of awareness is huge.”
“We are grateful, so grateful to Matthew Stafford and to Kelly Stafford especially for her willingness to be open and honest about her journey and her recovery and how she’s done with it,” Baumbick said. “She’s been not really a spokesperson necessarily but somebody who has done a lot for the acoustic neuroma community and what we call acoustic neuroma warriors.
“And with Matthew’s support and his support of her and his family and even the Detroit Lions support that message has gone far and wide.”
The donations have also not gone unnoticed by Kelly Stafford, who took to Instagram to thank all of the fans who have chipped in to help the cause.
Check it out.