Muscular Dystrophy Victim Gets Wish, Meets 49ers Before Dying
A muscular dystrophy victim who got to see his beloved San Francisco 49ers and meet quarterback Joe Montana has died, two days after his dream trip.
Richard Doiel, 23, who had been confined to a wheelchair since he was 10, saw the 49ers beat the Falcons, 23-10, in Atlanta Sunday. After the game, Rodney Knox, a public relations man for the 49ers, took him to see Montana.
“Joe was injured in the game and was on his way to the hospital,” said Vicky Brant of TCI Cable, a cable television company that helped arrange the trip. “But he stopped and visited with Richard first.”
Doiel also met 49er defensive back Ronnie Lott and linebacker Pierce Holt.
Brant said Doiel felt fine Sunday but by Monday night complained of back pain while he was returning home. Doiel “drifted off into a deep sleep” Tuesday morning and died 45 minutes after being brought to a Columbia hospital.
She said that after a bout with illness last September, Doiel’s family learned he probably “would not live through the winter.”
TCI learned of Doiel’s wish through his mother’s employer.
Community groups raised more than $1,700 to pay for the trip.
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