Derrick Coleman Responds to Deaf Girl's Letter: 'I Have Faith in You'
NFL running back Derrick Coleman received a very special letter from a young fan who admired the player because he was deaf. Riley Kovalcik wrote that she was inspired by Coleman and that they had something in common: they were both deaf, as was Riley's twin sister Erin. Coleman responded to the twins via Twitter and a personal letter, which has now gone viral.
"Dear (My Insperation) Derrick Coleman, I know how you feel. I also have hearing aids. Just try your best. I have faif [sic] in you Derrick good job on January 20th game. Go Seattle Seahawks! Here are things we have in comen [sic]. I where [sic] two hearing aids. I love sports. Other things are I'm an identical twin and my twin where's [sic] one hearing aid too!" Kovalcik wrote to Coleman.
The NFL player recently filmed a commercial for Duracell batteries, which is partially why Riley chose to write to Coleman. She really enjoyed the commercial and its message, which is that deaf people can do anything hearing people can do. She and her family were shocked when Coleman responded to her letter personally.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
"When the Seahawks were playing, the girls were right there watching and they were like, 'Where is he? Where is he?'" the girls' dad, Jake, told Daily Mail. "Riley said she wanted to write a note to Derrick and could I send it to him, so I said, 'of course.' When I read it I was like, 'Oh my God, really?'"
Jake had to do some work to locate Coleman's address. When he couldn't, he took a picture of Riley's letter and posted it to Twitter, hoping that Coleman would see it. The person behind the Seahawks' Twitter account discovered the letter, and retweeted it.
"Dear Miss Kovalcik, Thanks for the letter! Really was great hearing from a friend who I have so much in common with. I appreciate you rooting for the Seahawks and me and hope you continue to do so when we play in the Super Bowl!!!" Coleman wrote to Riley. "I want you to know that I always try my best in everything I do and have faith in you and your twin sister too. Even though we wear hearing aids, we can still accomplish our goals and dreams! If you or your family (are) ever in Seattle, I hope we can all get together and play some sports or games!"
Coleman also had a special message for the girls' father: "Your girls are awesome. Read them my letter back when you can! Thank you for the support! Means a lot!" he tweeted.
