Steve Pilkington got the surprise of his life this week when football legend Larry Fitzgerald, wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals, stopped by his house to drop off dinner to thank Mr. Pilkington, who works as a registered nurse at Banner Heart Hospital in Mesa.

“When Larry Fitzgerald came so far to reach out, listen and show his appreciation for health care workers, my wife and I simply couldn’t stop smiling and talking about how amazing it was - during a pandemic no less,” Mr. Pilkington said in a release.

Working with the owners of Steak 44, who offered to donate the meals, along with the Banner Health Foundation, Mr. Fitzgerald donated his time to deliver meals to frontline employees caring for patients in the COVID units at the various Banner Health hospitals.

Mr. Pilkington is one of those employees who just recently completed two weeks of service on such a unit at Banner Baywood Medical Center in Mesa --- located across the street from his home base Banner Heart Hospital.

Mr. Pilkington’s supervisor was excited for him to not only get dinner, but to also meet Mr. Fitzgerald. Mr. Pilkington couldn’t have been more excited or grateful for this thoughtful gesture, according to the release.

 “Sometimes the hardest things we do, especially when overwhelmed or scared, make us lose sight of what’s important when caring for others who need help. All it took was an unexpected act of giving in return, to help us remember why it matters," Mr. Pilkington said.