Mavs Gaming gives back

DALLAS – As Robert Rogers sat contently off to the side in one of the activity rooms at the Medical City Children’s Hospital in North Dallas, he couldn’t help but notice the joy on his young son’s face as he played a game with a team member of the Mavs Gaming squad.

On July 26, Bobby Rogers underwent his third heart surgery. And he’s only eight years old.

Bobby’s father said the hospital visit by the Mavs Gaming crew was just as meaningful and powerful to his son and the other kids as any medicine a doctor could prescribe.

“By this experience today, Bobby’s recovery may be a little bit shorter because the happier somebody is the better it is, because people just don’t understand the mental capacity and what’s going on in a child’s mind,” Robert Rogers said. “Especially a child at his age.”

“They’ve got a lot of worry and everything like that going on. And when events like this happen it just blows all of that out of the water and they just concentrate on the positive that’s going on right now, so we’re very thankful for that.”

The hospital visit by the Mavs Gaming crew was an opportunity to brighten the kids’ day. It included the players handing out Mavs Gaming gear, T-shirts and HyperX headsets to the kids.

In addition, the players took the time to play NBA 2K, other video games and various board games in the Children’s Playroom, Teen Room and Media Room.

For Dimez – the No. 1 overall pick in the inaugural NBA 2K League by the Mavs this past spring – visiting with the kids at the hospital and spreading good tidings is invariably what he’s passionate about.

“I say all the time, this is the thing that really matters to me,” Dimez said. “This is the type of stuff that I want to do to try to have an impact on people’s life, especially kids.”

Brooke Henderson, a child life specialist for Medical City Children’s Hospital, acknowledged that the visit by the Mavs Gaming team afforded the kids with an action-packed day very different from their daily routine.

“It is a great opportunity for our kiddos to get out of their rooms and do something that’s fun and kind of out of the ordinary for the hospital,” Henderson said. “A lot of them have been here for a while – some more than a week, some even more than a month.”

“Some of them are chronic patients who come back often to the hospital. To have something exciting to do really encourages them and motivates them to get out of their room and walk around instead of sitting in their bed during the day.”

Henderson added that the appearance by the Mavs Gaming crew was both an inspirational and emotional keepsake for the kids.

“To have the Mavs Gaming crew here today has put a ‘wow’ not only on my son’s face, but my family’s face,” Robert Rogers said. “We’ve enjoyed having them here and the kids have enjoyed having them here.”

“It’s just a blessing that they’re able to do this and the hospital has allowed them to do this.”

Jonah Edwards, the head coach of the Mavs Gaming team, noted that while their hospital visit was exhilarating for the kids, it additionally allowed his squad to hit their own mental re-set button.

“First of all, it’s always nice to get our heads off the game for a minute, especially with how we’ve been performing lately,” Edwards said. “It’s nice to just kind of re-focus, and this kind of helps us do that and maybe put things in perspective a little bit for us.”

“It’s also, just nice to be out here with these kids who they’re so appreciative of us being here and all the stuff that we’re bringing to them. Obviously, any time we can share our stories with any of these kids it’s a blessing, too.”

When the kids eventually discovered they were going to be visited by the Mavs Gaming squad, their reaction was immeasurable.

“We have some definite patients that love gaming, and actually have some game consoles in their rooms,” Henderson said. “So, when they heard that people were coming that professionally play video games they were excited to meet them.”

“I think that’s an up and coming profession and I think that’s neat for those kids to be able to meet them here at the hospital.”

That meeting was, to say the least, meaningful to both sides.

“I can’t describe it,” Dimez said. “It’s just a feeling inside of you that kind of warms your heart just to see these kids’ faces light up and for us to be the highlight of their day.”

It was especially a day to celebrate for Bobby Rogers, who underwent heart surgery when he was a week old, six months old and eight years old and was released from the Medical City Children’s Hospital the same day the Mavs Gaming crew visited the hospital.

“Just having them come here today and interact with the kids and play with them, it just means a lot and it says a lot to the kids that not only from a local standpoint, but on a multi-national TV celebrity standpoint that people do care about them,” Robert Rogers said. “Not only from my family, but also from my son, we thank the Dallas Mavs Gaming crew for coming here today and just showing love, because that’s what it’s all about. “

“We’ll remember this forever and we’re just thankful for the Dallas Mavs Gaming crew and Medical City Children’s Hospital for making this happen. We appreciate it very much.”

Click here to see more photos from Mavs Gaming’s visit to Medical City Children’s Hospital.