A little boy and his mother were devastated when they found out their tickets to a football game were actually fake—luckily, a stranger heard their story and decided to give them the experience of a lifetime.
Kademn Todd was a little boy who loved football—in particular, the Dallas Cowboys, according to KDVR.
“It’s my favorite sport,” Kademn said.
Posted by Kayla Turnell Lumbert on Tuesday, 5 September 2017
Kademn learned that the NFL team, Dallas Cowboys, was coming to Denver, the city where he was from. He knew immediately what he wanted to do to celebrate his eighth birthday—go to the Mile High Stadium.
His mother, Kayla Lumbert, knew this gift was very important to her son.
“I was determined to get tickets,” Lumbert said.
However, it was easier said than done, as all the game tickets had sold out in mere seconds. She had to get the tickets to the game some other way.
After a long and hard search for tickets, Lumbert finally found them from a broker, but the price wasn’t at all friendly. The tickets listed for about $400 a piece.
Despite the steep price, Lumbert felt it was worth it to treat her son to something he loved so much, and to the team that he loved.
She purchased the tickets, and then when the day arrived for the Dallas Cowboys game, they made their way to the stadium, ready to watch the game.
As they entered the stadium, they received terrible news—the tickets they bought were fake.
Not only were they not able to watch the game that Kademn was so excited to watch, but they were also scammed out of around $800. Their day was ruined, and Kademn did not get his birthday present. The 8-year-old was very upset, and Lumbert was trying to her best not to freak out in order not to agitate Kademn even more, according to Lumbert’s Facebook post.
“It was pretty devastating,” Kayla said, according to KDVR. “He was in tears. He was crying and [I] was trying to stay composed myself so he wouldn’t freak out.”
When it felt like nothing else would work out, Lumbert and her son got an amazing surprise.
Lumbert’s friends, who were also at the game, suggested that she give the tickets to Lumbert and her son so that he could enjoy the game. The friends came out to talk to the ticket manager about the incident and how they wished to give their tickets to Lumbert and her son. However, the ticket manager had a different plan for the devastated mother and son.
Patti Barban, a ticket manager at the stadium, felt that she wanted to do something for the family, knowing how much Lumbert had sacrificed.
“If you think how much they sacrificed and saved the money to go to this game…it was very special. It touched my heart,” she said.
Barban decided to help them out and gave them a treat of a lifetime. Not only did she offer them tickets to the game, but she also gave them amazing seats—right on the 50-yard line.
Right behind the Cowboys’ bench! What an experience.
A whirlwind of emotions, to say the least. Yesterday was the day that we've been looking forward to for a couple…
Posted by Kayla Turnell Lumbert on Monday, 18 September 2017
It was an unbelievable gesture for the mother and son, but to Barban, just seeing their happiness was what made her job worthwhile.
“We’ve all been there, something that didn’t work for our child,” Barban said. “And you just try and go up and get the lucky person, the lucky person who works at the back window who does this for a living.
“I love it.”
Despite never meeting Barban—the woman who made their day, and arranged the seating arrangements—they’re extremely grateful. They did manage to find Barban later when the story aired on KDVR.
We found Patti!!!! Here's the story Fox31 did on Kademn ???? ???? ⭐️
Posted by Kayla Turnell Lumbert on Tuesday, 19 September 2017
“She just did it out of the kindness of her heart. She didn’t have to do that. It was pretty amazing,” Lumbert said.
“Thank you so much for making his day, for turning a day that could have been completely ruined into the most special day ever, and we can’t thank you enough,” Lumbert said.
Kademn was also very thankful for Barban for saving his birthday, so he made her a thank-you card.
His drawing makes it clear that, even though the Broncos staff helped him out, he’s still faithful to his Cowboys. But sometimes kindness transcends team rivalries.
“These are the stories that you only hear about—they don’t actually ever happen to you,” Lumbert said, “with that happening, my faith in humanity is restored.”
