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Weatherall leaked to Koppel only part of Wednesday night's itinerary, which included several surprises. I have a lot of friends on the basketball team, and I just wanted to experience the same wish with my teammates." Surprises at MSG
"They helped me get through the tough times during my treatment. "They always held a special place in my heart," Koppel said. Wednesday's wish was Koppel's way of giving back to "teammates," who were instrumental in giving him the strength to beat cancer. Spotswood dedicated last season to Koppel, who three years earlier received a varsity lettterman's jacket from the Chargers as those players honored their hero during a halftime ceremony at a regular-season game. What's so unique and special about this is for Jake to not only include his family, but for him to explain to us how important it would be to bring the team that he manages from his high school and his coach and a couple of other special guests." "Just when I think I've seen every wish, a new one comes in and crosses my desk. "Over 10 years, I've been fortunate to be a part of over 4,000 wishes in New Jersey alone," said Weatherall, whose non-profit organization, which celebrated World Wish Day on Sunday, fulfills the dreams of children with life-threatening medical conditions. MORE: Greater Middlesex Conference boys basketball 2021 season-opening week in review What Weatherall and the Knicks' Garden of Dreams Foundation, however, had in store for the entourage was beyond Koppel's wildest imagination.
In one of the most unselfish requests Tom Weatherall, president and chief operating officer of the Monroe-based Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey, ever heard, Koppel asked that his family and the Chargers receive red carpet treatment at a Knicks' game. He's now in remission and near the end of his therapy." Unselfish wish But Jake has strength of character, determination and a will to carry on. "We didn't know if he was going to make it. Stanley Calderwood, chief of the Division of Hematology/Oncology at The Children's Hospital at Saint Peter's University Hospital in New Brunswick. "Jake had a good response to chemotherapy but developed severe complications - pneumonia and sepsis - and was in intensive care," said Dr. They took front-row seats along the baseline for a prime view of the teams' shootaround.įormer Knicks captain Larry Johnson, now New York's basketball and business operations representative, walked over to greet Koppel, whose courageous three-year battle with leukemia is the reason for the Chargers' visit. Spotswood players, clad in their blue and white uniforms, entered the hardwood through the same tunnel Carmelo Anthony and company use. They made their way into the venue as the Knicks and Los Angeles Clippers took the floor to warm up before New York's regular-season home finale. The Chargers stepped out of their fancy ride and strolled into Madison Square Garden through the employees' entrance on 33rd Street last Wednesday. NEW YORK - A stretch limousine bus carrying team manager Jake Koppel and the rest of the Spotswood High School boys basketball squad pulled in front of the "World's Most Famous Arena" during a once-in-a-lifetime road trip. Editor’s note: This story originally appeared in the Home News Tribune on April 30, 2012.