New England Revolution, Make-A-Wish Help Owen Coole Have Best Day of His Life
Owen had his wish come true at Gillette Stadium
Owen Coole is just like every nine-year-old soccer fan. He loves watching his favorite club — the New England Revolution — and can be seen running around his local field kicking a ball around on the weekends.
The nine-year-old is a midfielder and played his first season in his local league but thanks to his love of MLS was able to take control and help the team do a little bit more than simply run around the field chasing the ball.
“Now he’s the leading scorer and he’s the captain of the team and the leader,” his father Josh stated. “He likes to do the Gustavo Bou celebration now every time he scores.”
But what some of his teammates and readers might not know is that Owen suffers from cystic fibrosis, a genetic disorder that causes problems with breathing and digestion. People with CF have mucus that is too thick and sticky, which blocks airways and leads to lung damage. The mucus also traps germs and makes infections more likely, and prevents proteins needed for digestion from reaching the intestines, which decreases the body’s ability to absorb nutrients from food.
Make-A-Wish Massachusetts and Rhode Island and the New England Revolution partnered to help grant Owen’s wish of becoming a Revs player for the day. His youth soccer teammates surprised him earlier in October with the news that his wish would be granted, and he had been anxiously awaiting his wish day ever since.
Upon arrival at the stadium for the regular season finale, Revolution defender Andrew Farrell presented Owen with a custom jersey. In return, Owen surprised Farrell with the Revolution’s 2023 Humanitarian of the Year Award for his work in the community and unwavering support of the club’s community initiatives. Meeting Farrell was Owen’s favorite part of the day.
Also as part of his experience, Owen toured the Gillette Stadium Lighthouse and got to serve as Honorary Captain, participating in the pregame coin toss. After taking in the game from a private suite with his family, Owen attended a postgame player meet and greet.
“It was awesome,” Owen’s father said. “I mean, just seeing him so happy and ecstatic, meeting all of his favorite players, seeing that they make a living doing what he loves to do. I mean, it was awesome and the revolution did such a great job with everything, all the accommodations, taking us in, everything they did. Make-A-Wish too, they made it overall a fantastic experience.
“He felt like a normal kid again,” he added.
While Owen continues his battle against Cystic Fibrosis, the Revolution have a battle on the pitch lying ahead. On Wednesday they play Game 2 of the club;s first-round playoff series against the Philadelphia Union.
Owen has a message for the players ahead of the match.
“If they work hard, then they can win against every team.”
Great story.