CNN
—
Kayren Spain, 81, describes herself as a “football fanatic.”
Since her childhood in Alabama, sports have been a constant theme in her life. From Johnny Unitas to Cam Newton, she has always had a love for quarterbacks.
But none was greater than her obsession with Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs.
After discovering Mahomes through a video of Henry Winkler meeting him, she fell in love with Mahomes’ wit in interviews and his skills on the field. Spain said she loves his humility, appreciates that he’s not a show-off, but most importantly, “he plays ball like I’ve never seen him before.”
Elizabeth Carter, one of Spain’s daughters, said her mother was always a deeply passionate person.
“She was very passionate about becoming a mother and providing a home for her children,” Carter said.
Spain gives even more as a fan. A few years ago, she started sewing and began making her own Mahomes-themed clothing.
And her devotion to the quarterback led her to set a goal to meet him before she “kicked it.”
Inspired by the friendship between Mahomes and Winkler, which developed after the celebrities met on the sidelines of a Chiefs game, Spain launched a social media campaign in February 2023 to raise awareness about her dream of meeting her favorite athlete.
She started posting daily videos on various social media platforms in the hope of meeting her idol in person one day. Her family immediately cheered her on.
What surprised Kim Carter, another of Spain’s daughters, was her dedication to the campaign. Spain had previously posted videos on her YouTube channel showing some of her watercolor paintings, but she had little experience with filming. In real time, Spain learned how to record videos of herself and post them on various platforms. “What 80-year-old do you know who knows about technology like that?” Kim Carter asked.
Spain’s excitement only grew as she showed off her Mahomes memorabilia and elaborately designed clothing.
Then her online devotion caught the attention of Randi Mahomes, Patrick Mahomes’ mother, who commented on one of her Instagram posts.
Later that year, Spain and her family traveled to Kansas City to watch the Chiefs game at Arrowhead Stadium. Spain had indicated the morning of the game that she would be in a certain area, and Randi Mahomes later stopped by to meet her, and they took several photos together.
Spain continued to follow the quarterback avidly, occasionally posting paintings and new Chiefs memorabilia on her social media accounts.
When her daughter Kim Carter was making a documentary about her son’s wedding, Spain mentioned that she wanted a documentary of her own. Elizabeth Carter and Kim Carter decided to take her mother to the Chiefs’ training camp and make a documentary out of it.
On August 2, 2024, Spain and her daughters arrived at the Chiefs’ training camp in St. Joseph, Missouri, for Quarterback Autograph Day, hoping their mother could meet her idol. The training camp was filled with thousands of people, all of whom had come to watch Mahomes train for the upcoming NFL season.
As Spain fought her way through the crowd, she met several fans and told them her story. Fans helped Spain get close to the best part of the stands to get an autograph from one of the players. A generous Chiefs fan who had camped out the night before gave Spain her seat after hearing her story.
When practice ended, Mahomes walked to the stands, directly toward the section where Spain was sitting.
There, in the stands, the star quarterback and his superfan finally met.
The two chatted briefly while he signed two of Spain’s watercolors and admitted that his mother had previously told him about her.
Her daughters never lost faith that Spain could fulfill her dream. Spain’s enthusiasm and dedication never made her give up hope of achieving her goal. “It never works out exactly the way you imagine it, but you should never stop dreaming,” Spain said.
For Kim Carter, this heartwarming event changed her attitude towards the generosity of strangers. “I will always trust in the kindness of strangers and I will never doubt that life works so that things can show up at the same time.”
After the excitement of the day, Spain was back on Instagram and told her followers: “Dreams really do come true.”
