To say that Audrey Soape had a heartbreaking year would be putting it mildly. The 11-year-old lost her dad in a tragic accident, and just five weeks after that, her grandfather suddenly passed away, too. The double loss would have been difficult on anyone, but it's become especially painful for the young girl as certain milestones approach. That's why, when her mother Holly heard about their church's "daddy-daughter" dance, she decided to call in a favor. A very big favor.
You see, it turns out that Audrey is a major football fan
But she's not so much loyal to one team as she is to one player: 30-year-old Anthony Harris, a defensive back for the Philadelphia Eagles.
According to KTBC-TV, Audrey first learned of Harris when he joined the Minnesota Vikings back in 2015.
“I’ve been a fan of him for a long time,” she recently told the news station. “And [then] he moved to the Eagles [in 2021]. Of course, I miss him on the Vikings, but I rooted for the Eagles this year since he was playing on the Eagles."
Of course, Holly was well aware of her daughter's fandom
After all, she's an Anthony Harris fan, too.
Originally from Minnesota, Holly's family has rooted for the Vikings for years now. And, just like her daughter, she's continued to follow Harris' career even after his departure.
So, right around Christmas, she decided to message him on Instagram with one simple (yet crazy) request: Would he be willing to take her daughter to the upcoming father-daughter dance?
The request wasn't *completely* out of the blue
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Holly had been in touch with the footballer before, sporadically sending messages back and forth over Instagram since March 2020.
Still, asking a famous athlete to drop everything, travel hundreds of miles, and take her 11-year-old to a church dance was a pretty bold move. But she decided to shoot her shot anyway.
"Hey, this is kind of a crazy big ask, and please feel free to say no, but there’s this dance at the end of January," Holly says she wrote to Harris. “Is there any way you would consider doing this?"
Incredibly, Harris wrote back — and said yes!
… Well, sort of.
As any sports fan knows, January is a pretty big month for football, which meant his attendance was riding on whether or not the Eagles advanced to the Super Bowl.
“I told (Holly) that if we didn’t make the playoffs or if we didn’t go far in the playoffs, that I would be open to doing it," Harris later told the Inquirer.
Lucky for Holly (but not the Eagles), the team didn't make the playoffs
That meant that Harris had the weekend free, and could easily fly to Texas just in time for the father-daughter dance. But as the day approached, he started brainstorming ways to make the night even more memorable for Audrey.
“I was kind of trying to think of how I could make it as normal as possible and make it a smooth and special evening… not knowing each other deeply,” Harris told the Inquirer.
An 11-year-old girl’s dad died last year. 5 weeks later, her grandfather died. She had no one to take her to the annual father-daughter dance. So she messaged her favorite @NFL player, @HOOSDatDude.
He said yes. “I wanted her to feel like a princess.” ❤️ https://t.co/LeiUsY2tyq
— Ajit Pai (@AjitPai) February 10, 2022
So, the footballer teamed up with a charitable foundation to buy a special dress for Audrey. Then, he arranged to have her hair and makeup done professionally, so she could feel like a total princess.
And last (but certainly not least) he hired a car to pick up Audrey at her home and drive her to the dance in style.
Harris thought of every last detail — and it showed
But of course, the most fun was had on the dance floor, where the two danced the night away.
Needless to say, the 11-year-old had a blast. (Because how could she not?!)
"I felt super special, and it just kind of felt like special treatment for me,” Audrey later shared. “And it was kind of enjoyable to just sit back and let all this stuff happen.”
As for her mom, Holly, her heart is still brimming with gratitude
In fact, the story is just now going viral thanks to a Facebook post Holly wrote on January 28, shortly after the big night.
"I'm still at a complete loss of words, and I don't think I'll ever really grasp how incredible this night was," the proud mom shared. "From start to finish, [Harris] made this night unforgettable for her."
"I don't think I'll ever fully wrap my mind around it," she continued, adding that she's eternally grateful to "have people surrounding me who step up and love us through the difficult valleys we've walked through.
"God showed up big and brought people into our lives that have lifted us up and walked along side us," Holly wrote. "I'm just at a loss to express it all. What an unforgettable night and one that will live on in us forever."
As for Harris, he was pretty touched by the whole night, too
And while making the playoffs sure would have been nice, we're thinking he's happy with how it all turned out.
"I’m just thankful for the opportunity I have to play football and have an impact on people’s lives and that was ultimately what I was trying to do, to be there for [Audrey]," Harris told the Inquirer.
