Losing a parent is a child’s worst nightmare. It is a tough challenge that Audry Soape, an 11-year-old from Texas, had to deal with in 2021.
Audrey’s father died suddenly. Five weeks later, her grandfather also died.
The middle schooler just had a lot of bad news to receive in the past year. She and her family are still grieving the loss of their loved ones, and being reminded of who they lost is something that no grieving family would want to receive.
However, the daddy-daughter dance in Audrey’s school was about to take place, and she had no father or even a grandfather who will take her.
Holly Soape, the young student’s mom, wanted her daughter to be happy and be able to attend the dance without having to feel left out or lonely. And so, Holly came up with an idea to cheer her daughter up.
She reached out to NFL star and Philadelphia Eagles safety Anthony Harris thru social media to ask him if he could take her daughter to the daddy-daughter dance at their school. The athlete is Audrey’s favorite NFL player.
Holly did not really expect the NFL star to respond positively, but it happened!
Anthony Harris answered her and promised to be Audrey’s date for the dance. And when the day of the dance came, Anthony arrived and was dashing in his black suit and shoes. he was ready for the part!
Young Audrey is still unaware that someone special was about to make her night memorable. She went to the dance only to be surprised when she laid eyes on her favorite NFL star.
Anthony’s schedule initially appeared to be too hectic to make room for the dance. But eventually, things worked out and he was able to keep his promise.
“I told him about the situation, and surprisingly he was more than willing to do it,” Holly said. “It happened really fast. He said yes probably about a week before, so it was kind of a whirlwind.”
The NFL star did more than just show up to the dance.
He also paid for his young fan’s dress, hair and make-up, and of course, her shoes. He made sure that Audrey would remember this night as something special, and not a reason for her to be sad.
“He had a car with a driver, come to the house and pick her up,” Holly said. “He really wanted to make sure she had the best possible time.”
Audrey felt incredible that night. She was happy to be with her favorite NFL star and to be attending a dance she thought would be impossible for her to join in.
She is extremely thankful for Anthony’s presence at the dance.
“A normal player would probably be like “I don’t have time for this. I have to be focused for next season or the playoffs,”‘ Audrey said. “But he took time out of his schedule to take me, so that was pretty special.”
Audrey was nervous around her favorite NFL player, but we can all understand why right? he’s her idol after all.
“I was very nervous because I didn’t know what I was going to say,” she recalled. “At first it was kind of awkward because we weren’t talking yet… But then he kind of came up and started talking to me.”
Holly is happy that her nearly impossible plan materialized and her daughter was cheered up.
“I was so anxious and excited for her because she just had the most terrible year,” she said. “For someone to show up and to teach her that people do show up for you, it’s just been beyond a blessing.”
Anthony, on the other hand, is also glad to make his young fan smile.
“You gotta cherish these moments. You never know how long we have here on this Earth,” he told CBS Philly. “So, the people that you care about and you love, show support for them.”