Buffalo Blizzard Hero Headed to Super Bowl; Will Bills Join Him?
The Buffalo Bills are hoping to survive in the postseason long enough to play on January 29th in the AFC Championship game.
Thanks to the actions of one Buffalo native, there will be more fans than there might have been without him, alive to watch the game.
And for his actions, the Bills are sending Jay Withey to Super Bowl LVII in Glendale, Arizona.
"We love you, we know what you did on Christmas eve. It was very heroic," said former Bills running back and Hall of Famer Thurman Thomas as he helped deliver the gift on behalf of the franchise.
At the height of the holiday season, upstate New York was hit by a blizzard.
Not unusual, per se, but this one was different because the resulting storm trapped more than 20 people in their cars.
Including Withey.
And that's no small feat because those who reside in areas like Erie County, New York know how to prepare for the weather it brings.
But that day was different and Withey, who only braved the storm to try and help a friend in the first place, was ultimately able to save a group that included seven elderly members of the community.
Oh, and two dogs, as well.
In fear for his own life, and the lives of all the others stuck out in the deadly storm, Withey broke into a local school where he and the rest survived the day after spending the night huddled in vehicles overnight.
"I'm terribly sorry about breaking the school window and for breaking in the kitchen," Withey wrote in a note he left in the school after each person had departed. "Got stuck at 8 pm Friday and slept in my truck with two strangers, just trying not to die. There were 7 elderly people also stuck and out of fuel. I had to do it to save everyone and get them shelter and food and a bathroom."
He signed the note, "Merry Christmas. Jay."
Withey never made it to his friend, instead, that person was able to be rescued by authorities before the storm got too bad.
But because the Buffalo man was willing to do it in the first place, the self-described religious man was exactly where more than 20 people needed him to be, to save their lives.
And now, he's going to the Super Bowl. A small token, in relation, but a great gesture by the Bills franchise hoping to win their first Lombardi Trophy.
"Buffalo is a city of good neighbors, great neighbors actually," Withey told CNN before the Bills' 24-17 Wild Card win over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. "We're all just a big family. Everyone just sticks together and we're resilient. You can't put us down."
The "City of Good Neighbors'' theme is also in play for another inspirational guy, Damar Hamlin, who was in the locker room last week and is also part of what might be a special ride.
The Bills can get one step closer to meeting Withey in Arizona with a win over the Cincinnati Bengals in the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs, next weekend.
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