Dallas Cowboys bring holiday cheer to children in hospitals

Somara McDonald had to undergo an emergency surgery on Friday at Cook Children’s Medical Center. The 8-year-old girl described it as “the worst.”

Monday, though, ranked as one of her “best” days. That’s because the Dallas Cowboys made their annual visits to children in hospitals in Fort Worth and Dallas.

“She’s in this hospital a lot and never had an event like this,” said her mother, Beth McDonald. “This made her day.”

Cowboys players and cheerleaders spread holiday cheer to a number of young children such as Somara on Monday. It’s been a tradition for the team going back 29 years.

Each child receives a “game sock” that features goodies and toys from the team.

“It’s a real special opportunity,” rookie wide receiver Noah Brown said. “We have a huge platform and it’s good to be able to come out here and be real relatable and be personable with these people, try to put a smile on somebody’s face that might not be having as good of a day you are.

“It’s definitely something we’re blessed we’re able to do.”

Along with Brown, other notable players on hand at the Fort Worth location included All-Pro left tackle Tyron Smith, right tackle La’el Collins, defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence and rookie cornerback Chidobe Awuzie.

“It’s a good opportunity to meet a lot of the local kids, obviously not the most fortunate things going on with them right now,” Awuzie said. “But it’s a blessing we can come here and hopefully bring a little bit of cheer.

“We’re getting cheer out of it, too, just seeing these kids smile through all their struggles.”

This story was originally published December 4, 2017 at 4:44 PM with the headline "Dallas Cowboys bring holiday cheer to children in hospitals."