Metro Atlanta family fulfills dying father's wish to attend Super Bowl

ATLANTA — For most people, the Super Bowl wasn't the most exciting game, but for one family, it's a game they'll never forget.

Channel 2 Action News first introduced you to the Skinner family in December, just weeks after Andrew Skinner learned that his father, Steven Skinner, only had four to six months to live.

Steven Skinner was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an incurable brain cancer.

Andrew Skinner told Channel 2 Action News he was trying to help his dying father fulfill a lifelong dream of going to the Super Bowl. He started a GoFundMe campaign with his siblings, hoping to raise enough money.

We're happy to tell you that the entire family made it to Super Bowl LIII Sunday night.

"The fact that I was able to do it with my whole family is something I'm glad I'm able to remember and cherish," Andrew Skinner said. "I thought maybe best case scenario I'd get maybe halfway there -- get close to the goal."

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“I think as a mom, I was initially worried that Andrew would be disappointed. He didn't need any more things to stress about,” Lisa Skinner said.

But disappointment turned to hope. Within a week, donations poured in from around the country -- including one major gift from right here in Atlanta.

"He said he would take care of everything from transportation to where we're sitting. Bathroom -- everything," Andrew Skinner said.

Steven Skinner made it to the big game and Mike and Maryellen Medici from Fayetteville took the entire Skinner family. They had box seats near the celebrities, just a few rows up from the field.

It was a gift from complete strangers who have surely become their lifelong friends.

"There are wonderful people out there who help others for no reason but to help others and because they can," Lisa Skinner said.

The GoFundMe exceeded its goal and is now up to $40,000. Thanks to the Medici family, all of the money will now go to glioblastoma research.

Cox Media Group