GREEN BAY (NBC26) — Illinois Packers fans Brian and David Zloch might live in Bears territory, but they have never been more proud to rep the green and gold.
“I was amazed and in tears because it’s amazing what I did for my father," said David Zloch. "I was in shock.”
Brian Zloch has been fighting two forms of cancer, brain and throat, since September 2019. With Christmas coming and January right around the corner, Zloch will have to restart his insurance deductibles and premiums, which will go up, said David Zloch. With all this stress, the 14-year-old wanted to do something special for his dad.
“I was thinking in my head, ‘What can I do to beat my brothers this Christmas,'” he said.
He got an idea; he took to TikTok, sharing his father's cancer story and asking his favorite player, AJ Dillon, whom he has been calling 'Quadzilla,' for a jersey.
“I think they coined the name 'Quadzilla,' I think that’s sticking around for now," said the rookie running back, laughing. "The least I could do was put a smile on their faces.”
Dillon gave them a lot more than a signed jersey. Thanks to Dillon’s TikTok duet, hundreds of thousands of people saw the Zloch’s story.
@ajdillon2 ##duet with @david_nfl No one fights alone! Prayers to your father and your family! I try my best to get to everyone, Happy Holidays!
“What I wrote was 'no one fights alone' on the bottom of the jersey," said Dillon. "I feel like that is very understood throughout the packer community, throughout the entire nation, throughout the world.“
David created a GoFundMe for his dad soon after to see if they could raise the eight thousand dollars the family needs to pay their deductible in January. Less than a week later, the Zlochs are already more than halfway to their goal.
More than halfway to their go fund me goal of 8k! Link is in bio if you want to help https://t.co/SIDrWajDYO
— AJ “The Sauce” Dillon (@ajdillon7) December 20, 2020
“The Packers family, Packers nation, you know, we’re all bonded together," said Brian Zloch. "I’m speechless on what to say and how to say it.”
The two not be more grateful for Dillon sharing their message.
“Right now, we feel like he’s like part of our family now," said David Zloch. "He’s helped us out so much. It’s been incredible.”
Brian Zloch could not be more proud of his son, he said.
“I’m so floored that he came up with it, I mean it’s fantastic what he was able to pull off, and it’s amazing," said Brian Zloch. He’s a great kid. I can’t believe it. He did such a good job.”
The Zlochs are less than three thousand dollars away from their goal. You can donate to their GoFundMe here.
