It’s not often kids hear from their heroes, but that’s just what happened to Jet Feirn, 9, on Tuesday.
Jet wrote a letter to Shaun White 15 months ago after being told by his mom that he was born with the same heart defect as White. Feirn and White also share a love for snowboarding, as NBC KARE 11 in Minnesota reports.
Jet was born less than four pounds with the heart defect tetralogy of Fallot, leading to two open-heart surgeries before kindergarten, according to the report.
The TV station first aired a piece on Feirn’s letter for White last month. A viewer with connections to White noticed and made sure the Olympic champion got the message.
White wrote back. Feirn received an autographed snowboard, helmet, goggles, a backpack and a poster on Tuesday.