A Mississippi State fan gave his Alzheimer's-stricken father the perfect baseball gift

Staff writer

Fri, Jun 15, 2018, 4:20 PM

Matt Lea decided to surprise his dad, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s, with tickets and a road trip to see Mississippi State play in the College World Series. (Twitter/@tigr2ndbase)

Matt Lea, a lifelong Mississippi State fan, decided to give his father the surprise of a lifetime for Father’s Day. Matt’s father has Alzheimer’s, and Matt wanted to give him a gift that would be hard to forget. And with Mississippi State playing in the College World Series in Omaha, which kicks off on Saturday, he found the perfect gift.

So Matt drove 12 hours across Florida to surprise his dad. And before he walked through the door to his parents’ house, he flipped on his camera to record the whole wonderful interaction.

Surprised my dad today to tell him I’m taking him to Omaha to watch @HailStateBB play. His Alzheimer’s is setting in fast but I know he’s going to have a blast this weekend. Hail State!!! pic.twitter.com/NTtAxcxxIj
— Matt Lea (@tigr2ndbase) June 14, 2018

“Shoot. Hallelujah. You’re gonna break my heart here.” Matt’s dad was touched and shocked and overwhelmed by his son’s incredible gift. And Matt was really excited to get on the road.

Thanks everyone. I live 12 hours away in Florida now so it took him completely by surprise when I showed up. We can’t wait to get up there. Hate we’ll only be there for opening weekend but it’s going to be a great final trip for us.
— Matt Lea (@tigr2ndbase) June 14, 2018

The next day, the father and son embarked on their long road trip to Omaha. By then, the video of Matt surprising his father had gone viral, which resulted in people offering to help pay for their trip. But this trip wasn’t about money. Matt tweeted that he’d rather that money be donated to Alzheimer’s causes.

We’re off. Thanks for all the support. I’ve had many people reach out about paying for our meals, hotel, etc. I’m very grateful for that but if you’re willing to do that, just make a contribution to the Alzheimer’s fund. I’ll try to keep this journey updated as we go. pic.twitter.com/9MdBZU4127
— Matt Lea (@tigr2ndbase) June 14, 2018

It’s a long trip from Florida to Omaha, and Matt was able to grab a few pictures along the way.

A few pictures from the road. Really didn’t get many chances at pictures on the drive. Got the pyramid in Memphis, some rocks in Arkansas, and a hose and buggy in Missouri. #finalmemories pic.twitter.com/nKAb1cJZlG
— Matt Lea (@tigr2ndbase) June 15, 2018

Unfortunately, neither were able to grab any pictures of the hailstorm they drove through in Missouri. But Matt tweeted something even better — a picture of his dad back when he played baseball for Mississippi State.

My sister sent me this picture of my dad in his uniform freshman year. He’s in the middle. Do you have these throwbacks on the bus @HailStateBB?#finalmemories pic.twitter.com/F9b2cYhKjT
— Matt Lea (@tigr2ndbase) June 15, 2018

The duo started on the final leg of their trip on Friday morning, and made it by the afternoon.

Here we come Omaha. Thanks again to everyone. Dad jumped out of bed this morning and is in a great mood. pic.twitter.com/fmLArHB5qx
— Matt Lea (@tigr2ndbase) June 15, 2018

We finally made it to Omaha. Going to rest at the hotel before we head out. We’re looking forward to this weekend and all the great memories that will be made.
— Matt Lea (@tigr2ndbase) June 15, 2018

Matt and his dad will only be able to be there for the opening weekend, but they’ll be able to catch their team on Saturday night when Mississippi State takes on Washington. No matter what happens during that game, Matt and his dad are making important memories, and having a once-in-a-lifetime experience together.