Virtual Visits Boost the Spirits of UK Football’s Youngest Fans
LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 19, 2020) – There was a time, not too long ago, when University of Kentucky Football offensive tackle Luke Fortner would roam the halls of Kentucky Children’s Hospital every Tuesday, stopping in patient rooms to sign autographs, make crafts and dole out encouragement and high-fives to anyone who needed it. But when those visits had to stop because visitor restrictions at the hospital, Luke and his teammate Max Duffy wanted to find a way to stay in touch with patients.
“We wanted to do something with the kids, just weren’t sure exactly how or when,” said Luke. “The hospital staff reached out and mentioned that people should send in videos of singing, dancing or maybe reading a book. Max and I weren’t ready to release our mixtape, and we don’t own many children’s books, so we came up with the idea of the kids asking us questions and us getting back to them via video.”
The video series “In the Huddle with KCH” launched in April, and kids both inside and outside the hospital can send in questions for Luke and Max. No topic is off limits, and the players have tackled hard-hitting questions such as:
- “Does it hurt to tackle someone?”
- “How excited do you get walking out onto Kroger Field?”
- “Who is the silliest person on the team?”
- “Do you have a doggie?”
“Luke and Max have been so supportive to our patients during a time when they need it most,” said Jennifer Guilliams, coordinator of the child life program at KCH. “With visitor restrictions in place, our patients don’t have a lot of interaction with people outside hospital staff, so these virtual visits are a much-needed distraction.”
Other athletes at UK are joining the cause. The UK Athletics Student-Athlete Advisory Committee has designated KCH as the community partner of choice, and athletes from other teams are engaging with patients virtually until it’s safe to visit the patients in person.
Until then, Luke, Max and the other athletes are happy to talk video games, hobbies and show off their dance moves. Questions for future “Huddle” videos can be submitted via the KCH Facebook Page. And Luke wants his young fans to know just how much they inspire him in these unprecedented times.
“It’s important to recognize that no matter the uncertainty caused by this virus, there are people dealing with incredibly serious issues that transcend a football season, missing out on graduation or any number of obstacles that have been caused,” he says. “And these patients do just that. Their ability to see the light in tough times, to put a smile on anyone’s face, to put everything into perspective, is inspiring. And I hope that just maybe, I can help them out too.”
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.
In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.