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MARYSVILLE – Luckily for Jay Tardif, his football team did better than the Seahawks last weekend.
Jay, 11, plays wide receiver for the Raiders, a Marysville Boys and Girls Club team. He caught several passes and scored a touchdown in a 41-19 win Saturday.
But even though Seattle lost to the Dallas Cowboys Sunday 30-23, Jay will always remember this weekend because he got to see his idols up close and personal, thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Jay, who has been in remission since 2010, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 2007 when he was 4. Make-A-Wish grants wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions.
The Marysville Middle School sixth-grader got to watch Seattle’s game against Dallas from a CenturyLink Field suite after running the game ball out to the referee just before kickoff.
On Friday, he received a VIP visit to the Seahawks’ Renton practice facility. He tossed a football with Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson.
“He couldn’t even look at Russell Wilson as he was walking up to him,” coach Pete Carroll said after practice. “He said, ‘I can’t open my eyes.’ It was cute as it could be.”
Watching her son play catch with Wilson “was really special,” mother Jennifer Tardif said. “(Wilson) was so kind. You could tell he loves children.”
Jay went in the locker room, where he had his own locker and Seahawks jersey. He got to pick his number and requested No. 10, which is worn by rookie Paul Richardson; a surprising choice, perhaps, given all the stars on Seattle’s roster. But Jay had his reasons.
“(Richardson) has the most potential,” Jay said. “I watched him when he was in college (at Colorado), and he’s a really good receiver. So I was excited for him to be on our team.”
Another of the players Jay “wished” to see was wide receiver Jermaine Kearse, who was humbled by the encounter.
“It’s definitely a blessing to have younger kids look up to you,” Kearse said. “It’s a good feeling, especially something like this that a lot of people kind push aside and don’t really know the effect that we have on other people.”
Tardif said Jay’s been feeling good.
“Our family has been through a lot, but he’s so strong. My son is the sweetest kid you’ll ever meet. His empathy for other people is incredible, and I think that’s because of what he’s gone through,” she said.
Jay was 4 when he was first diagnosed. He was living in Las Vegas, but the family moved to Marysville in 2009 to be near Tardif’s mother and so he could receive treatment at Seattle Children’s Hospital.
Jay, his mom, sister Jaiya, 6, and uncle Al travelled by limousine from their Marysville home to the Seahawk practice Friday. After being greeted by Blitz, the team mascot, they were taken inside to see the Lombardi Trophy — given each season to the Super Bowl champion — and then to watch part of practice.
On the field and later in the locker room, Jay met players like cornerback Richard Sherman, safety Earl Thomas, and wide receivers Doug Baldwin, Percy Harvin, Kearse and Richardson.
With a smile, the playful Sherman asked, “So you’re the kid who thought you were cooler than me, huh?”
Jay was excited because the pros were willing to help him with his game.
“It makes it even better because they’re really good players, and I get to get tips from them,” he said.
Carroll said the players get as much from the Make-A-Wish visits as the kids whose wishes are granted.
“He’s in the competition of his life right now,” Carroll said of Jay’s life-threatening medical condition. “Our guys recognize that. They know. Whenever they get around anybody who’s in that mode, our guys gravitate. For us to have a chance to share our time with some kids, it’s amazingly rewarding to our guys.”
