J.J. Watt may have finally met his match in the form of a robot named after him. ‘Watt’ is owned and operated by 12-year-old leukemia patient Cristian Beasley who uses it to attend classes. Because of his condition, Beasley’s unable to be at school with regularity so the VGo telepresence system stepped in to provide their state of the art technology. From his computer, Beasley navigates the robot from class to class and participates in discussions. He named the robot after his favorite player, J.J. Watt.
When the Texans defensive end heard about the story, he paid young Beasley a surprise visit.
In a ruse orchestrated by the Houston Texans, NFL Films, Cristian’s family and school, and the Education Service Center Region 6 that coordinates the VGo program, Watt arrived unannounced at the home where Cristian operates the robot. He quietly snuck up behind him and gave the boy the best surprise of his young life.
“What are you working on,” Watt whispered as Cristian turned around.
“Oh my God,” said the 6th grader dressed for school in his J.J. Watt jersey and a Houston Texans knit cap.
“What’s up buddy,” said Watt. “I’m J.J., nice to meet you man.”
“Oh my God,” is all Cristian could mutter again.
This is beyond words. What an awesome gesture from Watt who later showered Beasley with shoes, gloves and a signed jersey. The video below is emotional so grab a tissue.
Best of luck to Cristian who’s going in for another round of chemotherapy Monday.