All Cindy Morais did was root for her team in the upper deck of Gillette Stadium. She didn’t deserve for her wheelchair to go missing. But, that’s what happened during the divisional round of the 2018 playoffs as the New England Patriots beat the Tennessee Titans. Enter Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
Morais was born with cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair and walker to get around. Each home game, the season ticket holder from Providence, Rhode Island leaves her chair underneath the stadium’s stairs and navigates 26 stairs so she can watch the game with her family and friends.
Unfortunately, someone thought it would be a good idea to take her chair.
“Maybe whoever took my chair needed it more than I did, that thought did cross my mind,” Morais told CBS Boston. “But I came to the conclusion that it was someone who maybe had a little too much to drink.”
Morais contacted stadium security but the chair was nowhere to be found, so her friend posted on Facebook, “…Who goes and steals someone else’s wheelchair? Did someone think this would be a fun joke to play on someone? Did anyone see the chair get taken?”
Word spread quickly thanks to social media and local news picking up the story.
Upon hearing what happened, Robert Kraft called Morais to tell her that the team was buying her a customized Patriots wheelchair. Then he asked if she would be his guest to Sunday’s AFC Championship Game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Of course, she was all in.
In the meantime, Gillette Stadium security found Morais’ wheelchair on the opposite side of the stadium. Still, Kraft and the Patriots were dead set on getting her a very special chair, which was presented on Sunday before kickoff.
As you can see, Morais is in tears over the gesture, one that’s as meaningful as any Super Bowl win:
Cindy Morais gets her new wheelchair from Bob Kraft! Her original one had gone missing at last weeks game. @wpri12 pic.twitter.com/P0Zvm8L1DI
— Eric Halperin- WPRI (@EricHalperinTV) January 21, 2018
Last week, Cindy Morais’ wheelchair was missing after the game.
This week it was found and returned, and today Robert Kraft surprised her with a new #Patriots themed wheelchair. pic.twitter.com/w7VSAK9sBy
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) January 21, 2018
Cindy Morais of Tiverton on the sideline as a guest of #Patriots owner Robert Kraft who will gift her a new wheelchair after hers taken at last week’s game. pic.twitter.com/MjhdNILPOX
— Tony Gugliotta (@NBC10_Tony) January 21, 2018