The Maple Leafs may have fallen to the Edmonton Oilers by a score of 6-4 on Monday, but it didn't much matter to 71-year-old Donna Thomson, who got to live out a dream when she and her group of three others attended the game in Toronto as Auston Matthews' special guests.
Donna was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer in 2019 and it was her dying wish to meet the 22-year-old sniper, her favourite pro hockey player.
She and her group donned their Matthews jerseys with pride as they took up mantle in a private box to watch the game. This was the first time Thomson had ever attended a Maple Leafs game, despite being a life long fan. She even wore a stick-on moustache for the occasion, resembling the one Auston has grown and worn all season long.
Prior to the meeting on Monday, CTV news reached out to Donna on Saturday to get her feelings on the upcoming meet and greet with the young Leafs superstar.
“I'm just so stunned,” she said. “How many people do you know that would, in his position, do what he's doing. I don't know what I'm going to say. I know there is lots I'd like to say. I am a fan, I do think he is pretty cute and I like his style of play. He is a good player, he is not a dirty player and I love his smile and the mustache, even though everyone has teased him about the mustache, I like it.”
The campaign to have Donna meet Matthews was kicked off by 33-year old Grant Haire, who is a neighbor of her sister's, as well as some other family and friends. Haire was thrilled for Thomson when the Director of Media Relations for the Maple Leafs had reached out. The message indicated that Matthews had caught wind of the campaign and wanted to help make Donna's dream come true.
When Haire told Thomson of the meeting scheduled to take place on Monday, she "freaked out" with excitement. “It's going to be great to see her face.” he said, regarding the impending meet and greet.
The 33-year-old watches games with Thomson whenever he can, even going so far as to reveal that he enjoys watching the games with her, even moreso than with his own friends.
“She has a bell that she keeps with her and every time the Leafs score she gets up and rings the bell. She loves the Leafs more than anything.”
Following the meet and greet on Monday, Matthews said that he was grateful for the meeting and, according to CTV, joked that he thinks Thomson wears his trademark moustache better than he does.
What an amazing act of generosity and kindness by Matthews, the Maple Leafs organization and SickKids Hospital. Though it may not have been the win that Donna was hoping for, there's no doubt that it was a special night for the 71-year-old, her family and her friends.
Source: CTV News, CTV News Toronto
