A bullied 10-year-old boy from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania who took to Instagram in March to call out those who bullied him for his short stature, has found the support of the entire Philadelphia Eagles football team , thanks to Defensive End Brandon Bair.
Dominic Zaffino , a cancer survivor, had to undergo chemotherapy for three and a half years, says the boy’s mother, Gemma Zaffino. It was the chemo that ultimately led to his smaller than average height. The boy’s Instagram post on March 30, which spoke directly to those who bullied him, garnered the support of many celebrities after it quickly went viral.
“To everyone that calls me short, you know I may be short but that’s better than being dead. I had cancer (if you haven’t found out it’s DEADLY). I like who I am and am very lucky to still be living. And everyone that thinks they’re huge that’s not the greatest thing in the world (you could develop problems). You don’t have to be tall to win. I could be tall but God slowed down my growth for me to be the best person I can become. Let that sink in and think of this before you call someone short.”
Of the many people who saw the cancer survivor’s post, one in particular was Brandon Bair, defensive end for the Philadelphia Eagles, who, in support of the bullied boy, invited him to visit the team’s training facility. There, the young boy had the chance to hang out with Eagles players like Tim Tebow, as well as his favorite Philadelphia Eagles team member, Darren Sproles, who supports the bullied boy as much as he can because Sproles understands Zaffino’s troubles. Darren Sproles was also bullied for being short when he was growing up.
“For someone to bully him like that – that’s not right,” Sproles said.
The support shown to the young cancer survivor by the Philadelphia Eagles is just phenomenal, especially after the day that instigated Zaffino’s original Instagram post.
“He had a bad day at school that day.” the boy’s mom said, “Dominic hardly cries. He went through three and a half years of chemo and didn’t cry. He started bawling his eyes out that night and he showed me what he posted and I started crying.”
Zaffino had the opportunity to learn some drills and get autographs from all his favorite Eagles, but the lesson of the day went to Bair himself, who said “I’m 6’6? tall and I’m looking up to a 10-year-old kid right now – I think that’s awesome.” Dominic couldn’t have been more right when he told his bullies that “you don’t have to be tall to win.”
For a young boy who’s already won by surviving cancer, finding support in your favorite football team after having been bullied relentlessly is probably the biggest win of them all.
[Image Credit: Fox News ]
