Cam Newton surprises young fan with a hospital visit [Video]

Cam Newton granted a little boy’s wish two days after Christmas but may have gotten the biggest gift of all himself.

That gift was the giant hug the Carolina Panthers quarterback received while visiting 10-year-old Taylor Austin Deckard at Egleston Hospital in Atlanta on Tuesday.

Taylor, a huge Auburn football fan, was diagnosed with advanced pulmonary hypertension about a month ago. Courtney Cooper, his physical education teacher at Lakewood Elementary, started a social media campaign to have Newton, who led the Tigers to the BCS national championship in 2011, visit Taylor with an emotional Facebook post last week:

“His prognosis is not good,” Cooper wrote of Austin. “He will have a procedure done next Wednesday that the doctors fear he may not make it through. Please pray for a miracle.”

Cooper also wrote that Austin “told me he ‘wished Cam Newton could come to his birthday party.’ Austin may not ever make it to an Auburn football game but I know social media is a strong force that can make things happen. Let's use it for something positive and spread this like wildfire and somehow, someway get the word to Cam Newton and give this precious little boy his wish.”

And that’s just what happened. Austin was wearing the No. 2 Auburn jersey of the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback at the time of the visit, and the two of them are said to have played a game together.

“I thought I had an unknown number, but, dude, I’ve gotten about 100 calls about you,” Newton told Austin during the visit.

charles.schilken@latimes.com

Twitter: @chewkiii

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