A Crystal Palace fan with a life-limiting condition met his footballing heroes as he was a special guest at Portman Road for the Eagles' clash with Ipswich Town.
Richard Sanders, from Woodbridge, lives with pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with a complete atrioventricular heart defect and is supported by Suffolk young adults' charity Zest.
As the 42-year-old was unable to attend Zest activities to receive support and see his friends during the height of the Covid pandemic, his family contacted Ipswich Town to see if he could watch the friendly with Palace on July 24.
Richard not only attended the game, but received a shirt signed by the Eagles' squad and grabbed a picture with star man Wilfried Zaha and new manager Patrick Vieira.
He left Portman Road with a smile on his face as Zaha's second-half penalty secured a 1-0 victory for Palace.
Richard’s sister Helen said: "It was an amazing day. After coming out of lockdown, which had meant Richard had to shield for long periods of time, we saw ‘old Richard’ reignited and come to life, it was very special and he was just buzzing.
"It was a real dream come true for him and we are so thankful to Ipswich Town Football Club and Crystal Palace for making it such a brilliant day.
"Also a big ‘thank you’ must go to the Zest team who provide Richard and our family with a safe space, somewhere we know he can receive the support he needs and also enjoy himself.
"Richard has a real zest for life and Zest enables him to achieve his ambitions."
Dan Palfrey, public relations manager at Ipswich Town, added: "We're delighted that Richard and his carers were able to attend our friendly against Crystal Palace.
"With the club's long-standing relationship with the hospice, we've met Richard a number of times, and he always mentions his beloved Crystal Palace.
"He is always such a character on any club visits to the hospice, and we're delighted that they had a great experience."
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