Days after he suffered serious injuries in a New Jersey school bus crash that claimed the lives of two others, 11-year-old Brendan O'Callaghan seemed "brighter" and more alert than usual. And the New York Rangers were to thank for it.
O'Callaghan was one of 43 people injured when a bus from East Brook Middle School in Paramus, New Jersey, collided with a dump truck on May 17, as News 12 New Jersey and northjersey.com reported. He was left with "a fractured temple bone, a broken collarbone, a punctured right lung and a bruised orbital bone," his father told USA Today.
The nearby Rangers caught wind that O'Callaghan was a fan shortly after the accident, USA Today noted. And it wasn't long before the boy and his family received a package from the NHL team, complete with one of goalie Henrik Lundqvist's hockey sticks -- autographed by "The King" himself -- and a card for O'Callaghan: "Dear Brendan: You're in our thoughts and our prayers. Best wishes, the New York Rangers."
You can check out the video below:
I have to edit this post and thank Kevin Moran from Paramus Hockey and Dan Meyers and the rest of his hockey supporters for making this moment happen. Words can not express. A package was delivered with a signed New York Rangers Goalie stick signed by Brendan's Hockey Idol Henrik Lundqvist and a signed card from the new York Rangers Organization. This made his day seem so much more brighter for him the most alert I've seen him. Keep Praying for all the families and kids who were involved in this horrific accident . The support has been tremendous throughout friends, family, community and staff of Paramus East Brook Middle School . My family can't thank you all enough. Thank you to East Brook Middle School Principal Tommy LoBue and East Brook Staff Dana Focarelli, Chris Nutlend, and L.E.A.D. Officer Fox from the Paramus Police Department commit to visit today. He remembered every one of you and I can feel his happiness when you all showed up. I know inside he felt realism for the first time . And also my father who reached out to the New York Rangers to brighten a grandsons day .
Posted by Arnie O'Callaghan on Saturday, May 19, 2018
"It was the look on [my] son's face when he received it, it enlightened everyone," Arnie O'Callaghan, the boy's father, told NJ.com. "It was a light of hope."