Seahawks make Marysville football fan’s wish come true

Maybe Jay Tardif will grow up to play for the Seattle Seahawks someday.

But if not, the 11-year-old Marysville boy at least had a chance to be part of his favorite NFL team for one very special weekend.

Tardif, who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 2007, got a VIP visit to the Seahawks’ Renton practice facility Friday, an event arranged by a regional chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America. He tossed a football with Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson, met head coach Pete Carroll and other players, and went in the locker room, where he had his own locker and Seahawks jersey.

His weekend got even better on Sunday. Tardif, a sixth grader at Marysville Middle School, watched Seattle’s game with Dallas from a suite at CenturyLink Field after earlier running the game ball out to referee Bill Leavy moments before kickoff.

All this was big stuff for a boy who “is just crazy about football,” said his mother Jennifer Tardif. “He knows everything about (the Seahawks).”

His favorite Seattle player?

“All of them,” she said.

Jay Tardif was 4 years old when he was first diagnosed with leukemia. He was living with his family in Las Vegas at the time, but they moved to Marysville in 2009 to be near Jennifer Tardif’s mother and so he could receive treatment at Seattle Children’s Hospital.

In initial conversations with representatives of Make-A-Wish, which grants wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions, Tardif had asked to meet the rapper Akon. But given his growing love of football, and particularly after Seattle’s Super Bowl championship a year ago, he decided on a new wish — to spend time with his favorite football team.

The Seahawks often get charitable requests and they always respond generously. In cooperation with Make-A-Wish, the team arranged for Tardif and his family _ his mother, 6-year-old sister Jaiya, and uncle Alphonse Tardif _ to travel by chauffeured limousine from their Marysville home to the Renton practice facility on Friday.

After being greeted in the parking lot by Blitz, the team mascot, they were taken inside to see the prestigious Lombardi Trophy — given each season to the Super Bowl champion — and then to watch part of practice.

When the workout was over, Tardif spent a few minutes passing the football with Wilson. “It was really fun,” Tardif said. “He was just really nice to me. When he threw me the ball, he’d say, ‘Great catch.’”

Watching her son play catch with Wilson “was really special,” Jennifer Tardif said. “(Wilson) was so kind. You could tell he loves children. It was just incredible.”

On the field and later in the locker room, Tardif met Carroll and several players, including cornerback Richard Sherman, safety Earl Thomas, punter Jon Ryan, place-kicker Steven Hauschka, long snapper Clint Gresham, and wide receivers Jermaine Kearse, Doug Baldwin, Paul Richardson, Bryan Walters and Percy Harvin.

With a smile, the playful Sherman asked, “So you’re the kid who thought you were cooler than me, huh?”

Tardif got his own locker for the day and it included a Seahawks jersey with his name on the back. He got to pick his own number and requested No. 10, which is worn by Richardson, a rookie. A surprising choice, perhaps, given the many veteran stars on Seattle’s roster.

“(Richardson) has the most potential,” Tardif explained. “I watched him when he was in college (at Colorado) and he’s a really good receiver. So I was excited for him to be on our team.”

All in all, he added, “(Friday) was probably one of the favorite days in my life. It was amazing.”

Jennifer Tardif says she is overwhelmed by the kindness shown to her son both by the Seahawks and by Make-A-Wish. “It’s just been amazing,” she said. “He feels so special and I’m just very happy he feels that way.”

The good news is, Jay Tardif has been in remission since 2010. He is healthy enough to attend school fulltime and he plays wide receiver for the Raiders, a Marysville Boys and Girls Club team. On Saturday he caught several passes and scored a touchdown in his team’s 41-19 victory over the rival Cardinals.

“He’s doing so great,” Jennifer Tardif said. “Our family has been through a lot, but he’s so strong. My son is the sweetest kid you’ll ever meet. His empathy for other people is incredible and I think that’s because of what he’s gone through. He’s just a great kid.”