Islanders Defenseman Matthew Schaefer Surprises 4-Year-Old Fan

LONG ISLAND, NY — Four-year-old Caden Manzella is used to cheering on the New York Islanders from his home in Bellmore. But last month, the young fan got the chance to cheer with the crowd in person after one of the team's players personally invited him to a game.

Caden was born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, a rare congenital heart defect, and has undergone three heart surgeries, his first at two days old, and the most recent in March.

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He has endured complications and countless nights in the hospital, finding comfort by sleeping with his Sparky stuffed animal and keeping his Sparky baseball cap on while recovering, his mother said.

"Every morning he asks me, 'Is there a game on today?'" Victoria said. "If there is, he makes sure to put on his Islanders T-shirt before the game starts."

Watching the Islanders allows Caden to focus on what matters most: being a happy kid.

"The team just really makes him happy, because while he's watching, he doesn't have to worry about when his next doctor's appointment is or anything like that," she said. "He can just focus on his favorite team and cheering them on."

The young hockey fan hasn't let his medical challenges stop him from anything – especially not from rooting for his favorite team. Caden was invited to a scrimmage and development camp with the team a few months ago, and has been gifted Islanders tickets by community members who heard about his love of the team.

Most recently, Islanders defenseman and alternate captain Matthew Schaefer personally reached out to invite Caden to a game after hearing his story.

"Honestly, it means so much that he was willing to go out of his way and make time for Caden after hearing his story," Victoria said. "He was seriously so kind and made sure Caden felt comfortable. Our family will forever be grateful for his kindness and this experience, especially after his hardest year yet, and I know Caden will never forget this!"

When Schaefer texted Victoria with the invitation, she said Caden couldn't believe it.

"He rewatched the video he sent over and over again and kept telling and showing everyone he saw that he had texted him," she said.

Victoria said leading up to the big game day, Caden was absolutely thrilled, "and would not stop talking about it!"

"When we got to UBS he was extremely excited and was jumping around and chanting 'let's go Islanders' over and over," she said. "Every time the period ended he'd ask if it was his turn to meet Schaefer."

Even a week after the game, Caden was still talking about the experience and asking to sleep with his signed puck every night, Victoria said.