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February 1, 2004
SO MUCH COURAGE: Hope Stout still inspires Donnalley
By John Delong | JOURNAL REPORTER
Hope Stout isn't around to watch Super Bowl XXXVIII. She died Jan. 4, at age 12, of a rare bone cancer called osteosarcoma.
But Kevin Donnalley is determined to make sure that her legacy lives on.
And when the Carolina Panthers play the New England Patriots tonight at Reliant Stadium, Donnalley, a veteran guard for the Panthers, will pay Hope Stout a tribute in the best way possible.
He'll inscribe "Hope" on his wristbands, in letters small enough to avoid breaking NFL rules but big enough to provide instant inspiration.
"It's just something that's important to me," Donnalley said. "There's not a day goes by when I don't think about her, and her courage, and how she has inspired me. She was an amazing little girl."
It's an amazing story, too.
Donnalley is one of many who, over the past few months, have helped raise more than $1.15 million for the Charlotte-area Make A Wish Foundation in Stout's name.
Her "wish" before dying was that all the other 156 children on the Make A Wish Foundation's list would get their wishes.
"I hope Make A Wish understands that each time they grant a wish, they owe something to Hope Stout," Donnalley said. "I'm sure they do."
Donnalley met Stout in October, the day that the Panthers lost to the Tennessee Titans at Ericsson Stadium. A friend had told him about a 12-year-old girl with bone cancer and asked if he would take the time to say hello and perhaps pose for a picture after the game.
Donnalley, who had done some charity work with the Make A Wish Foundation earlier in his career when he was with the Miami Dolphins, was so touched by the girl's courage and enthusiasm that he decided to get further involved.
He began making regular visits to the Stouts' home in Weddington, N.C., and then to Charlotte hospitals once she was hospitalized.
"At first, it was just a thing where I was supposed to talk to her a little and take a few pictures," Donnalley said. "But once I met her, I was so inspired I had to get to know her better. She really taught me about courage. She was battling every day, and it was so painful, having bone cancer. It struck first in her knees, and then she couldn't walk and had to be on crutches, and she was bedridden at the end. But when I'd go to see her, she never let it bother her. It was like she was trying to inspire me.
"She just had so much courage, I can't say enough about that. I've been around guys who played with pain and fought through injuries and showed toughness on the field. But nobody I've ever played with showed the courage she showed. This tiny little 12-year-old girl."
Donnalley wore a "Hope" pin throughout the week leading up to the Super Bowl and made a point to talk about her in media sessions as a way to promote awareness for the Make A Wish Foundation.
He was responsible for talking ABC into doing a feature on Stout the night of the Panthers' opening-round playoff win over Dallas.
He and his fellow offensive linemen have sold T-shirts to raise money, and the Panthers have donated about $30,000 from various fines to the cause.
He has also taken a major role in several fund-raisers, including one gala two weeks ago that raised more than $1 million.
"I'm so thankful for Charlotte and how the people have gotten behind this," Donnalley said. "It's been amazing, really, And the thing about the money is, it wasn't one huge gift from a bank for like $500,000. It's all been little kids bringing in their allowance, or doing chores, or walk-a-thons. My little girl did a cartwheel-a-thon. It's been all grass-roots efforts."
Donnalley vows to continue his work after the Panthers return from the Super Bowl.
He'll continue to raise money for the Make A Wish Foundation, and he'll continue to visit children in the hospital.
That was one of Hope's biggest requests.
"Anyone who had the pleasure to talk to Hope understood this was really from the heart," Donnalley said. "It wasn't anything contrived or planned. She just really wanted to help others. I remember one of the first times I saw her, she said, 'I appreciate you coming, but if you don't mind, maybe after the season is over go and see some of the other kids instead of me, because they don't have families like I do. They need you. They need people coming by.'
"So that's what I plan to do."
If the Panthers win today, Donnalley will be able to show them all his Super Bowl ring.
Either way, he'll feel like a winner.
"I never realized at that time how much she and her family would do for me," Donnalley said. "They restored my faith in humanity. There's goodness out there. This world can be so crazy, but to see this family, they put all their faith in God, they were strong and they knew there was going to be something greater come out of this, even though it took this little girl's life.
"They knew God had a plan for her."