At the young age of three, there’s a pretty good chance Roman Ursino, may not remember much about the time the Montreal Impact visited him at the Montreal Shriners Hospital.
Roman has brittle bone disease, a genetic disorder that causes bones to break easily and often.
On Monday, he was at the Shriners for physiotherapy, but he also got an added treat.
“They were really great with him,” said his father, Silvio Ursino.
“They participated with him, they played some games with him. Maybe in a few years when he sees the footage, he’ll realize what a big deal it is.”
“It’s a great thing for Montreal athletes to participate in the community and it makes the kids really happy.”
Impact goaltender, Evan Bush, said as a father-of-two, giving the kids and families something to smile about is everything.
“For us, it’s important to get out into the community and do these things,” said Bush.
“The funny part is it ends up brightening up our day too, so it’s a win-win situation.”
Bush, along with other pro players, visited patients at the Montreal Shriners.
Others visited the Montreal Children’s Hospital and the Centre de Réadaptation Marie Enfant at Sainte-Justine Hospital.
Sam Mckoy-Johnson, 17, said although he’s not the biggest Impact fan, the good company is a nice distraction.
“It feels great to get away from the medical stuff and just have fun with other kids and other people,” he said.
Forward Dominic Oduro said visiting the children is a way to show them that they’re not alone.
“It kind of tells us we are human, we’ve got to show love,” he said.
“The best way for us is to come over here and show some of the kids love and appreciation, that even though we aren’t there, we still think about them and we love them.”