CLEVELAND — A few weeks ago, Tom Seipel took to YouTube to share his doctor’s diagnosis with the world.
“I don’t remember his exact words, if it was ‘one to two weeks’ or if you have a couple weeks,” Seipel said on December 19th.
He was entering hospice, following a 3-year battle with kidney cancer.
The 39-year-old had been documenting his journey on YouTube so that his 6-year-old daughter, Mia, had something to remember him by.
“I didn’t know how soon this cancer would be taking over and so I wanted her to have some videos you know to at least see papa throughout this fight,” he said.
A father, husband, and missionary who spent years in Nicaragua, Seipel is also a loyal Browns fan.
So loyal, that he made it a point to thank and say 'goodbye' to his fellow fans on Reddit.
“Guys, you know I don’t have much time left. You guys have been a great fan base,” he wrote, never to imagine what would come next.
The story caught the attention of Browns Quarterback Baker Mayfield and his wife, Emily.
“You’re extremely inspirational, man, you’re a warrior,” Baker Mayfield said in a message recorded on his Instagram page.
This weekend, the Mayfields and others are flying Seipel and his father up from Georgia to see Sunday’s game and to meet in person.
“You know, a guy who’s just trying to tell his story to meeting you know, I call him ‘Mr. Dangerous’ himself, that’s pretty crazy,” Tom Seipel said, believing it is all part of a bigger plan.
“Maybe dying is not the perfect timing that I’d like, but I’m going to go out with a bang and make sure I do some good with this,” he said.
Originally from Columbus, Seipel has been a Browns fan since childhood. A graduate of Ohio State, he also cheers for the Buckeyes.
You can see a recent video from Tom Seipel announcing his trip to Cleveland in the player below:
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