One Year Later, Cody Latimer’s Friendship With Carson is Stronger Than Ever

A year after meeting Carson, Denver Broncos wide receiver Cody Latimer continues to be motivated both on and off the field.

Professional athletes visiting children’s hospitals is nothing new. It’s a great way to lift the spirits of the kids and give athletes some perspective, but every now and then something even more special comes out of it.

That’s exactly what happened to Denver Broncos wide receiver Cody Latimer almost a year ago. Last November, Latimer visited Children’s Hospital Colorado when he met an inspiring eight-year-old named Carson Cline.

Carson was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when he was 13 months old. He has gone through four brain surgeries and one eye surgery before eventually receiving neurospinal surgery last November. He spent six weeks in Children’s Colorado receiving intense physical therapy after the surgery to walk flat footed.

Latimer met Carson less than a week before last season’s game against the Chicago Bears. He learned about Carson’s journey and his die-hard obsession with the Broncos. Carson was even wearing a Demaryius Thomas jersey, his favorite player at the time, so Latimer decided to FaceTime his fellow receiver for Carson.

A year later, Carson’s favorite player has changed.

“It’s definitely me now,” a laughing Latimer said.

During his time with Carson, the two exchanged autographs and took a picture of themselves doing the eight-year-old’s touchdown pose. Five days later, Latimer scored his first career touchdown against the Bears and celebrating using that same pose.

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“He knows more about football than a lot of people in the world,” Latimer said. “After I met him I knew that I could motivate him and that he could motivate me.”

One year later, Carson is now at school and doing better than ever. During an off day last week, Latimer and a few of his Broncos teammates stopped by Carson’s school to meet his classmates and hang out with him. Many of Latimer’s teammates were surprised when they met Carson.

“It’s funny, when I went to the school, other players came with me and they were like, ‘Wow you would never even know he has an illness’,” Latimer said. “He’s so energetic and he’s in really high spirits.”

The two continue to stay in touch almost a year after they met. While Latimer is working on balancing playing football and having just welcomed his first child into the world, the Broncos receiver is motivated by everything that Carson has gone through.

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“He’s motivated me on and off the field,” Latimer said. “Just knowing how he fights every day, seeing how he pushes through it motivates me to know that I can push through what I’m going through too.”

Carson has already gotten to see his favorite team win the Super Bowl last season, but Latimer is still as motivated as ever on the field. As for the touchdown pose, Latimer says that he definitely plans to keep it in the arsenal moving forward.