The Chicago Bears faced off against the Philadelphia Eagles for Monday Night Football on Sept. 28 with a special guest in attendance: Joshua Chagoya ‘27.
He was invited onto the field before the game and also had the chance to attend practice at Halas Hall in the week leading up to it. This experience was part of a partnership between the Bears and Abbott’s HeartMates program.
“Bears on me Bears on three! 1, 2, 3, Bears!” (Courtesy of @chicagobears on Instagram)
At practice on Saturday, Sept. 25, Chagoya had the honor of breaking down the huddle at the end of the day with the whole team cheering him on. He was able to meet many of the players and get to know them more personally than just through watching them on Sundays.
“On the first day, my favorite part was meeting the players and finding out how they’re just regular people like me,” Chagoya said.
Getting to talk with them about things outside of just football was a highlight moment for Chagoya.
On game day, Chagoya was recognized by the Bears as their “Champion of the Game,” which gave him field access before the game and more time to interact with players, fans and their mascot: Staley. Hearing the “fan base cheering for me” was the highlight of Chagoya’s second day with the team.
His experience was organized through a connection between the Bears and Abbott’s HeartMates program. The group was designed to build a community for people with heart conditions and enable them to meet people in similar situations. The organization is led by ambassadors Damar Hamlin and Tedy Bruschi, current and former NFL players, respectively, who have struggled with heart problems themselves.
Chagoya has Long QT Syndrome, which means that the time between heartbeats is longer. Those living with Long QT face increased risk of heart complications and sometimes have restrictions on physical activity. This is how he was introduced to the HeartMates community. Thankfully, Chagoya is still able to play sports and live a normal life despite the condition.
In the past, Chagoya was invited through HeartMates to Halas Hall during the NFL draft, where Bears executives were busy selecting the newest members of the team. The team invited the whole HeartMates community to the event and “brought us all together,” Chagoya said.
The entire experience is something Chagoya will remember forever, and the Bears beating the Eagles in dominant fashion on Monday night made it even more perfect.
“It means a lot. It’s something that I never thought would happen. It’s still such an insane moment and probably a highlight of my life,” Chagoya said.