Dejah Sanchez, a sweet, shy, 16-year old from Ruidoso, New Mexico, nervously stood on the practice field at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, her smile getting wider and wider by the minute.
The Steelers grant the wish of a young fan from Rudioso, NM.
One by one, and sometimes in groups, Steelers' players came over to say hi to her, get a picture, and sign her football.
She barely uttered a word, until James Conner walked over.
Sanchez, who was at practice and will be at Sunday's game against the Bengals at Heinz Field, was visiting as a guest of the team through the Make-A-Wish Foundation. And her number one wish was to meet Conner, who like her is a cancer survivor.
"He is my favorite and I wanted to meet him because he is also a cancer survivor," said Sanchez. "It's a personal thing. He is an inspiration. Even though he went through that he is still playing in the NFL and doing big things and it makes me think I can still do big things with my life."
Sanchez could have wished for anything in the world, but chose coming to a Steelers game because unselfishly she wanted to do something her entire family would enjoy.
"I thought it would be fun for the whole family, and not just me," she said. "Since we are all Steelers fans I thought this would be the best choice."
And was it the best choice?
"This is all I dreamt it would be," said Sanchez. "And even more. It's one of the best days ever."
