Batson Children's Hospital patient Jacob Partlow just caught a pass that traveled more than 300 miles to land in his hands. The pass was thrown after Jeanne Stanford, manager of Fred's Super Dollar in Pulaski, Tenn., watched a video of Jacob's battle with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in preparation for her store's annual Children's Miracle Network Hospitals (CMNH) fundraising campaign. In the video, 14-year-old Jacob mentions being a big fan of Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace, who is a Pulaski native. Stanford asked Wallace's parents, whom she sees regularly, for a signed football to send to Jacob. But when Wallace discovered the circumstances, he wanted to do more and arranged to present the football in person. Friday at Fred's Super Dollar in Canton, a surprised and speechless Jacob received the football from his hero. "I'm trying not to faint," Jacob joked. Jacob's mother, Olevia Williams, kept the whole thing a secret from Jacob. She told her son that he would be receiving an autographed football from Wallace, but she didn't tell him that he'd also get to meet him. "This is pretty special for me," Jacob said, admiring his new football, which he called his most-prized possession. |