FLAT ROCK, Mich. (WXYZ) — A 9-year-old boy from Flat Rock says he is over the moon after getting a shout-out from his favorite Lions player.
Conner Adcock says the Lions are his favorite team and his favorite player to watch is Aidan Hutchinson. Conner says he was surprised and excited when the defensive end called him his good luck charm following the Lions win on Sunday night.
"I felt so happy and excited that they won. I was about to jump up and down and I was like 'Oh my God! Dad, Mom keep looking. I gotta go to this next game," said Conner.
The 9-year-old was also named hero of the week by House of Hutch, a nonprofit run by Aidan Hutchinson and his family. Each week the organization picks a different child, many of which are facing a challenging medical battle, to recognize.
Conner says during this past football season, he began sending videos of himself making gameday predictions to Hutchinson.
Adcock's mom Melissa says they started tagging House of Hutch and Hutchinson in their videos and to their surprise, they received a video response back from Hutchinson.
"It’s overwhelming because sometimes they don’t have a lot to look forward to," said Melissa. "These kids are battling stuff every single day. It’s a challenge every single day and just that little bit of hope means the world."
Melissa and her husband Steve say it's especially important for someone like Conner to be recognized as he's faced so many battles in life already.
"He was born at 25 weeks, spent 229 days in the NICU. When he was a month old, he ended up getting necrotizing enterocolitis and had to go in for surgery and almost didn’t make it. It was iffy. And since then he’s just overcome a lot really," said Steve.
Due to complications Conner had with countless surgeries, he developed some brain damage along the way. He was later diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. His parents say he hasn't let it slow him down at all.
"It means a lot to me just to see somebody recognize him and I can only imagine what it would mean to those kids," said Steve.
Conner says he's hopeful to meet his favorite player soon but until then, he will keep making predictions.
"If I was talking to Hutch right now, I would say try to get those three sacks and knock ‘em down and tell a Goff to try not to throw interceptions, 0% interceptions," said Conner.
The 9-year-old says he predicts the Lions will make it to the Superbowl this year. He also told 7 Action News crews he wants to thank Aidan Hutchison and his mother Melissa for the shout-out.
"Go Lions and hopefully they beat those Buccaneers," said Conner.
To follow along with Conner's journey, you can follow him on social media.
Conner and his parents say they will be watching the game together at home this Sunday.
