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Eli Griffith sat in a green room in the bowels of the Javits Center in Manhattan on the first day of Fanatics Fest, waiting anxiously alongside his family.
The Griffith family – father Joe, mother Jamie and sister Ava – had been waiting all day for Eli to meet his favorite athlete, the one whose name was emblazoned on their Michigan Wolverines and New England Patriots jerseys.
Tom Brady.
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Eli Griffith met his idol, legendary NFL quarterback Tom Brady, at Fanatics Fest as part of the Fanatics and Make-A-Wish partnership. (Fanatics/Make-A-Wish)
PK Press Club Digital was able to speak with Eli and his family before meeting Brady as part of Fanatics’ partnership with Make-A-Wish, which continues to deliver once-in-a-lifetime moments. Eli was “totally” nervous after being asked about meeting his idol, but he also felt like there was a “mutual connection” because of their roots in Ann Arbor, Michigan — where Brady’s stardom rose with the Wolverines before reaching the “GOAT” status Eli noted in the NFL.
“As the day goes on, it gets more and more surreal. It’s like this is the moment it’s happening, and I’m imagining him walking through the door,” Eli said.
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The moment finally came when Brady opened that door, and the family shared the quality time together that they had been looking forward to all day.
Brady sat down with PK Press Club Digital after the meeting, during which Eli, already showing off his journalism skills in high school, had a few questions for the legendary quarterback.
“He didn’t want to be a journalist. He said, ‘I’m a journalist!’ I said, ‘Absolutely, keep going,'” Brady said, smiling. “He had seven questions for me, and a lot of fun questions. He definitely put in a lot of time and thought, and he asked a lot of good questions. Some of them I’ve never been asked before.”
Tom Brady attends Fanatics Fest NYC 2026 at the Jacob Javits Center in New York on July 16, 2026. (John Nacion/Getty Images for Fanatics)
A candid interview, a few autographs and a chat with the whole family, Brady made Eli’s wish come true in the best way possible. But the Griffith family should know that Eli’s story also serves as an inspiration for Brady.
“When I was a player, we did a lot of stuff around football training camp and we had a lot of well wishes over the years,” Brady explained. “I love being able to have a positive impact on people’s lives. A lot of these people are dealing with difficult situations – families and children. But they have the brightest minds and the biggest hearts, and it’s just amazing to meet them, to be inspired. They think they’re inspired by us – I think it’s actually the other way around.”
At age 14, Eli was diagnosed with an unusual heart condition. He presented with dilated cardiomyopathy on one side of the heart and ventricular noncompaction on the other side. It was a rare genetic mutation that was not detected until adolescence.
As a result, Eli needed a heart transplant at CS Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor.
Eli Griffith received a heart transplant after the discovery of a genetic mutation at the age of 14. Eli, in a good mood at the hospital, shows off his Tom Brady Michigan cards. (Joe Griffith)
While in the hospital, Brady saw a photo of Eli with a bunch of trading cards from his Michigan years spread across his chest, which Brady called “pretty awesome.”
And while Brady was an inspiration, so was the entire Wolverines football team as Eli and his family struggled with their situation.
“The Michigan football team stepped up a lot when he was in the hospital. Players came to visit him,” Joe Griffith said. “Charles Woodson yelled. We had a connection somehow through Jim Harbaugh, and we got a phone message from Harbaugh as well as the Chargers punter. [JK Scott]. In the [Michigan] In the locker room, the players made a short voice message to Eli. All this allowed him to keep his morale up. That kept us excited about things, like after his surgery, these three freshmen were going to come from the team and visit him afterward. This whole thing had a lot of ups and downs, but compared to many people’s experiences, our lows weren’t as low as they could have been. »
It was the pinnacle for the Griffith family as they spent time with Brady, but it didn’t continue on the Fanatics Fest floor until after their introduction. Eli was right next to Brady tossing packs of trading cards at CardVault by Tom Brady, while they all had a front row seat to watch Brady dunk one of his all-time favorite teammates, Rob Gronkowski, in a tank full of Raising Cane Sauce.
Todd Graves, Rob Gronkowski and Tom Brady attend Fanatics Fest NYC 2026 at Jacob Javits Center on July 16, 2026 in New York City. (Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for Fanatics)
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The experience of a lifetime for a family who went through hardships, but never wavered in spirit and hope.
“There’s a lot of people who dig deep in life, and we all face our own challenges and he’s a great kid. What a great spirit,” Brady said.
