COLUMBUS, Ohio – Inspiration was not in short supply for Dale Earnhardt Jr. on Thursday.
The driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet SS spent his day in Columbus, Ohio, where his primary sponsor Nationwide is headquartered.
As Nationwide's guest, he visited Nationwide Children’s Hospital to start the morning.
There, he saw dozens of children battling their way through rehabilitation at America’s second-largest and third-busiest pediatric hospital and research center.
"Some of the kids may be race fans, some may not, but they're curious -- if they're not, they're extra curious -- as to who you are and why you're there,” he smiled. “It's great to be able to hear their story and understand why they're there, what they're going through, what their mindset is.”
“It's truly inspiring and really gets you fired up to be involved."
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Earnhardt took photos, signed autographs and handed out some gift bags as he met with children -- who had already sent him a special welcome video -- throughout the inpatient rehabilitation center. He even paused for a video-game break.
“One of the kids I met today, we played a couple video games,” Earnhardt smiled. “We seemed to really have a good connection. She had a great personality. I could've sat there and played video games for hours with her because she was so much fun with it. She really made it an enjoyable experience – just that small little moment is something you won't easily forget at all.”
The preferred mode of transportation around the rehab area? A wagon. So Earnhardt autographed a brand new No. 88 wagon for the children.
Families travel from around the nation and globe to access the life-saving treatments available at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, which delivers more than one million patient visits each year. More than 4,000 children receive treatment for cancer and blood disorders annually, and no child is turned away because of a family’s ability to pay. Because of that, more than $128 million in uncompensated care and services is provided annually.
Nationwide, through its sports marketing programs, donated more than $4 million to the hospital in 2014.
As he made the rounds, Earnhardt couldn’t help but be impressed by not only the children, but the nurses and doctors supporting the children.
“They're very positive and they're surrounded by a lot of great people,” Earnhardt said. “Today, I heard this nurse continue to tell this young kid how she had learned so much from him and he was an inspiration to her, how he was such a pleasure to be around and such a great person to spend time with.”
It’s that positive reinforcement that stuck with Earnhardt. He said as he visited with child after child, he wanted to be sure to try to do the same – “keep these kids fired up” – all while taking their mind off of their rehab and finding some common interests.
For some, that was video games. For others, it was dogs. There were even some big NASCAR fans.
One was 18-year-old Thomas Jordan, who on the day of Earnhardt’s visit was “graduating” from the inpatient rehabilitation unit. He was set to go home for the first time in nearly five months after being injured in a motor vehicle accident.
Though he was given a slim chance for survival, he continues to beat the odds and is slowly regaining some speech and movement following the significant brain injury. And Earnhardt was there to recognize his hard work, success and achievement as he shared in the special occasion.
“Thomas was going home that day, and they throw a bit of a graduation ceremony for the kids when they leave,” Earnhardt said. “So that was great to witness, and to see him enjoy that sort of recognition and attention and then he kind of opened up there as that process was going on. He was talking to me and everyone else. To see him, for a moment, forget about his situation and just enjoy that moment was really something that will stay with you for a long time."
As part of his own The Dale Jr. Foundation, Earnhardt looks to give underprivileged youth the resources to improve their confidence and education and the opportunity to achieve extraordinary goals.
“We're sort of driven to assist children in any way possible,” he explained. “We come up with a lot of new, great ideas when we go around the country and see how people are doing it in so many ways. This was an opportunity today with Nationwide to go to the children's hospital here in Columbus and see the great things they're doing there.
“It's truly inspiring and really gets you fired up to be involved."
For more photos from Earnhardt's visit, click here.