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As the world continues to mourn the tragic passing of Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, stories and anecdotes about what kind of human being the man was continue to make their way onto the internet, the latest of which comes from just a regular, everyday Facebook mom.
On Sunday night, Kristen O’Connor Hecht took to Facebook to share a personal and heartwarming story about Kobe Bryant from when she was working at a pediatric care unit in Arizona.
In her brief Facebook status, Hecht explained how Bryant came to visit a terminally ill five-year-old who was also named Kobe and provided him with literally the best moments of his life.
“For the better part of an hour they played basketball, passing it back and forth, with little Kobe, laughing, his sweet Mama smiling and laughing. Several autographed items were left and many photos were taken. The machines keeping him alive were dinging, whirring and alarming and his doc was just grinning from ear to ear.”
“About three weeks later I got a letter from Little Kobe’s mom describing the power in those moments. She said those were the most joyful moments of his entire life. The photos were the only photos she had of him smiling,” Hecht wrote.
Additionally, Hecht said that Bryant would often make these types of hospital visits but refused to let his PR team make it public.
“According to Kobe Bryant’s PR people, he did this everywhere but the deal was – no PR,” the anecdote explains.
The entire story, which you can find below, offers yet another glimpse into who Kobe Bryant the man was and only further reiterates how tragic of a loss his untimely passing is.
So I have a story…When we lived in Phoenix, frequently my and Tom’s paths would cross in our work. A pediatric cardiologist I worked with asked me if Tom could get an autographed something from the Lakers for a 5 year old dying patient who was named Kobe. He was from one of the reservations in Arizona where basketball is life. I called Tom at the Phoenix Suns making the request, believing that there would be virtually no way this would happen. The Lakers were coming to play the Suns later in the week. A day later Tom called me and said, “He’ll do it!” I was thrilled and thought I’d bring the ball or whatever it was to work. Tom said, “No, he read your story and he wants to come and meet the little boy.” I was floored!
So the next day, with the support of the Colangelo family, a limousine brought Kobe Bryant to my office. Under a cloak of secrecy – neither security or PR people were informed (I got in a little trouble for that but it was so worth it!) the three of us scrambled up a back staircase to this little boy’s room in cardiac ICU. For the better part of an hour they played basketball, passing it back and forth, with little Kobe, laughing, his sweet Mama smiling and laughing. Several autographed items were left and many photos were taken. The machines keeping him alive were dinging, whirring and alarming and his doc was just grinning from ear to ear, as Tom and I stood nervously watching this unbelievable scene unfold before us.
As we got back in the limo, Kobe turned to me and said, “Kristen, what can I do to help? Is it a financial thing? Because I can take care of that.” It wasn’t. (The little boy had a heart defect and was too ill for a transplant.) I was floored. I was floored not only by his sincerity and offer of generosity, but the kindness and warmth he displayed. Little Kobe passed away the following week. About three weeks later I got a letter from Little Kobe’s mom describing the power in those moments. She said those were the most joyful moments of his entire life. The photos were the only photos she had of him smiling. According to Kobe Bryant’s PR people he did this everywhere but the deal was – no PR. From that day on he has been my hero and when people would tell me they didn’t like him, I would say, “Let me tell you a story…”. May God shine eternal light upon your soul, Kobe.
Rest in peace, Kobe. Thank you for everything.
The thoughts and prayers of the entire BroBible team out go out to the friends, family, and loved ones of the Bryant family during this extremely difficult time. May Kobe, Gianna, and all of the victims of the crash rest in peace. Mamba Forever.
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Eric is a New York City-based writer who still isn’t quite sure how he’s allowed to have this much fun for a living and will tell anyone who listens that Gotham City is canonically in New Jersey. Follow him on Twitter @eric_ital for movie and soccer takes or contact him eric@brobible.com