Perhaps the greatest aspect of being a celebrity — you know, other than the money, women, coke parties, etc. — is the ability to profoundly impact a fan’s life with the simplest of gestures. Take UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, for instance, who recently surprised a twelve year-old Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and Silva megafan suffering from Epiphysiolysis (the loosening or separation, either partial or complete, of an epiphysis from the shaft of a bone) in a Brazilian hospital.
The fan’s name is Joao Pedro; he has been wheelchair bound for 9 months and has already undergone two surgeries in an attempt to combat his condition. Despite this, doctors are still unsure if he will ever walk again. However, after Joao found out that his doctor also catered to the likes of Silva and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (who probably financed the guy’s second and third houses over the years), Pedro requested an autograph from the pound-for-pound great. Being the stand up guy that Anderson is, he decided to step it up a notch and show up in person with an armful of autographed gifts for the little dude.
The heartwarming video and transcription are below.
Here’s a transcription of what Andy said to Joao (via MMAMania):
What’s up, brother? Don’t cry, come here and give me a hug. Don’t cry, is everything fine? You want to get well soon! Give me a hug, give me a hug, a really strong one. Let’s get well, let’s get well. Let’s take a picture. Look what I brought for you, signed glove, this is for you. Look, let me tell you something. You’re going to have to do something really important for all of us. Give all you got. Give 100 percent effort so you can get well really quick because Minotauro also had the same problem and he’s fighting again, you know what I mean? So you got to give it all you got, ok? I talked to the doctor to talk to Dr. Angela, who was taking care of Minotauro, so she can help you out also so you can go back to training as soon as possible, okay?
I’m the one thankful for being here. Let’s get well. No crying, be happy. Let’s get well so we can train. Do you promise me that? That’s a deal. Let’s roll when you get well … but don’t choke the old man.
Word has it that once the camera turned off, Silva and Pedro spent the next half hour one-upping each other with “Chael Sonnen’s momma” jokes. A happy ending indeed.