Paul George donates $10K towards wheelchair-accessible van for 11-year-old Daisy Esterline

The story begins with a visit to Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health.

Pacers players Lavoy Allen, Ian Mahinmi, C.J. Miles, Rodney Stuckey, Shayne Whittington, and Paul George visited on February 2nd. While there, they met and spent time with the kids in difficult circumstances. It’s special visits like this that can leave a mark, not only on the patients but on the players, too.

One special young girl the players visited with was 11-year-old Daisy Esterline. She has cerebral palsy and zoomed throughout the room in her memorable pink wheelchair.

But that wheelchair now weighs over 200 pounds and her parents, Howard and Suzanne, have been laboring trying to make the current setup work.

14 months ago, a gofundme page was setup for others to donate to the cause. Recently, the family has found a 2011 Chrysler Town & Country van that Daisy likes and fits her needs, but it costs $35,000. The Esterline’s goal was to raise $12,000 for the down payment and then finance the rest.

A week after the players’ visit to Riley, a photo of Daisy and George appeared on the Pacers’ Gamete Program (as seen to the right).

The season-ticket holder party was held the next month at Latitude 360, and that’s where the story continues. Jeremy LaFara, Daisy’s uncle, talked with George and had him sign the program for Daisy. It has since been framed and hung in Daisy’s bedroom.

“He said he remembers her [from his visit to Riley Hospital] and that she was a beautiful girl,” LaFara, a season-ticket holder for five seasons, recalled. (LaFara and his brother, Tim, have been members of George’s fan section, the G2 Zone, the last two years.)

Pickup the story last Friday, the first of May, when an anonymous donor stepped up and was willing to match every donation up to $6,000. Howard then began reaching out to local professional athletes on Twitter who had previously interacted with Daisy — pushing for their help to spread the word.

That’s when Paul George stepped up. Quietly, he donated $10,000 — more than 83 percent of their goal — to the cause.

“Keep fighting daisy I am with you!” George wrote in the comments section with his donation.

The Esterline family can now purchase the van and they’re hopeful to get it as soon as this week.

“My sister Suzanne and her husband Howard Esterline were completely shocked and very excited by his donation,” Jeremy LaFara told VigilantSports.com. “He is a class act and I think it’s good that this story is getting out because we hear too many negative stories about professional athletes.”

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George is one of 53 donations on the page totaling $19,916, as of this story. You can help, too. Click here to visit the gofundme page and donate whatever you can.

@HelpOnTheWay23 you're welcome bro

— Paul George (@Yg_Trece) May 4, 2015