Growing up, girls are often told that football is only for boys, but 7th grade quarterback Dejah Rondeau was not going to let that stop her from playing the game she loved.
13-year-old Dejah Rondeau from Execter, New Hampshire knew early on that she wanted to play football.
"My dad loved football and he would watch it all the time with me," Rondeau told Seacoastonline. "So I really love the sport and I begged for years to be allowed to play."
And living in New England, Rondeau is of course a Patriots fan. Whenever she takes the field, she wears no. 11 in honor of her favorite player, Julian Edelman.
When the Patriots' wide receiver heard about the bullying Rondeau faced for playing football, he and team owner Robert Kraft decided to invite her to the home of New England Patriots and give her the surprise of a lifetime.
When Rondeau arrived at Patriot's Place, her first stop was a tour of the team's trophy room, guided by owner Robert Kraft.
Later they were joined by Edelman who seemed almost as excited to meet his young fan.
"I heard about your story, about going out there and having a challenge, of dealing with adversity because people not accepting this, that," Edelman said. "My respect level for you is just through the roof because you just ignored all the noise and you played the game we all love and that's football."The two played catch and took a tour around Gillette Stadium, but that wasn't the only surprise Edelman had in store.
After asking her if she had any plans for the Superbowl, Edelman handed Rondeau two tickets to the big game.
"That was crazy," Rondeau would later say about the experience. "I never thought that would ever happen. I'm just really excited to go."
"When Julian pulled out the tickets, I didn't know what to say. I never in a million years thought I would go to a Super Bowl."
Rondeau was not the only one blown away by the incredible gift.
The story even warmed the hearts of some die-hard Patriots haters.
And while many fans were envious of the amazing tickets, all wished Rondeau a great time at the game.
Congratulations to Dejah for proving the haters wrong and showing what can happen when you refuse to give up on your dreams.
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