LOS ANGELES — A trip to the Super Bowl is special for any fan, but for one family, it was the trip of a lifetime. 

What You Need To Know

  • A family of Bengals fans from Kansas City got the surprise of a lifetime with Super Bowl tickets from the NFL

  • Brody Stanley has a form of dwarfism that has presented many challenges in his young life

  • His parents shared his story on social media, allowing people to better understand their journey

  • The Stanleys said going to the Super Bowl as a family was a dream come true

For the Stanley family, seeing their Bengals in person is a rare occurrence since they live nearly 600 miles from Cincinnati. 

“Especially being Bengals fans, being able to come to the Super Bowl and things like that, it’s unbelievable,” Mike Stanley said. 

Mike, Marcella and Brody Stanley are from Kansas City and have never been to Cincinnati, but they’re Bengals fans. 

“I saw the Bengals on TV, they had the tiger-striped helmets, and I just started following them for some reason,” Mike said.  

But that isn’t the only reason that makes their story special. 

Brody, 6, has a unique story all his own. 

“We knew at my 20-week ultrasound when I was pregnant, he had a form of skeletal dysplasia, or dwarfism, and they didn't even know if he would survive,” Brody’s mom, Marcella Stanley, said. “So it was very the future was so unknown. And then when he was born, we realized what form of dwarfism he had, and we knew we had a lot of challenges ahead. But he has been a trooper, so we've been through a lot together. But he is the toughest kid you can ever find and he's very deserving to be here.”

Diastrophic Dysplasia is a condition that affects cartilage and bone development, and as a result, Brody has faced no shortage of challenges. Mike shared their journey on Twitter, including all the hardships. 

“He's so deserving,” Marcella said. “We spent Thanksgiving in the hospital. He had a back surgery. He's had two neck surgeries, surgery on his feet. He's had a cleft palate repair like said, he has been through the wringer and he's just the toughest kid you could find.”

Thanks to their openness, the NFL gave them tickets to watch the Super Bowl in LA, mMaking the Stanley family’s dreams come true. 

“It means the world,” Mike said. “I mean, me being here at the Super Bowl would be incredible, but the fact that I get to share this with her and I get to share this with him after, you know, we've been through a lot so this means the world for sure.”