Kansas City Star: ‘You’re gonna make me cry.’ Children’s Mercy patients surprise Sporting’s Graham Zusi

By Sam McDowell

The young patients gathered in a hospital room, dispersed toward different tables and quickly got to work. Some drew. Some wrote. Some pasted pictures onto sheets of poster board.

Once per month, they sit here and peek up at the door as they construct their artwork, waiting to see which special guests might arrive. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes came through here. Former Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer did, too. The purpose is to surprise the kids.

But on Tuesday, Sporting Kansas City star Graham Zusi wasn’t in on the surprise.

The kids were.

As Zusi walked through the door for his usual visit, the Children’s Mercy Hospital patients reversed the roles. They held up signs. They clutched pictures of his face. One displayed a jersey.

All to inform him of this: Zusi has been named part of the MLS All-Star Fan XI. It is his seventh all-star selection.

“You’re gonna make me cry,” Zusi said.

And then he did.

They made congratulatory signs, on display as a confused Zusi walked into the room.

“It made me quite emotional,” he said.

They asked for autographs on their jerseys, scarves and posters.

“I was kind of nervous to meet him,” one patient, Gloria, said. “But it was very awesome to meet him.”

And now that you have?

“He’s awesome.”

Read the full story via The Kansas City Star

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