Sam Kostoff was due a nice break.
The 7-year-old huge Phillies fan had been through a lot since October β lots of doctor visits, lots of tests, a brain tumor diagnosis, emergency surgery and 10 days in the hospital.
So after all that, he wanted one thing: to see the Phillies play on Opening Day at Citizens Bank Park. There was only one problem: Those tickets can be tough to get.
Enter Zachery Dereniowski, aka MDMotivator, a social media content creator and philanthropist who occasionally partners with MLB to "surprise good strangers with incredible opportunities," which have included tickets to the All-Star Game and World Series.
Dereniowski knew he'd be in Philly for Opening Day, and he and MLB wanted to find someone to surprise with not only tickets to the game but a full-on fan-freakout experience. So Dereniowski posted a video seeking suggestions to help find the right person.
Lauren Kostoff, Sam's mother, saw the video.
"I literally had just gotten home from the hospital, learning that Sam didn't need chemo or radiation. And I just responded. ... I was like, 'Yeah! My son!' I got so excited," Kostoff said. "Then he reached back out and I told him about Sam's story, and it just kind of went from there."
Thankfully, Sam's surgery removed the entire tumor, which was about the size of a kiwi. Follow-up tests will continue for a few years, but mostly Sam's been getting his strength back and focusing on things that are important to a kid β like Phillies baseball and securing those Opening Day tickets.
Fast-forward to shortly before Opening Day, when Sam set up a lemonade stand to raise money for tickets β $1 per cup. Sam is an experienced lemonade salesman, having previously run a stand to raise money for kids who needed school supplies. Still, Sam knew Opening Day tickets might cost "a couple of hundred dollars." That meant a lot of hard work to reach his goal.
But when one particular customer showed up, things hit warp speed. That customer was Dereniowski, who had an unusual request for Sam. He documented the whole encounter in a video that soon went viral thanks to his millions of social media followers, who crowdfund his philanthropic efforts. As of April 3, the video had garnered more than 40 million views and more than 3 million engagements across social media.
"Can I actually buy the whole jug of lemonade from you?" Dereniowski said.
"Are you sure you want to buy all of it?" Sam asked.
"How much for all of it?" Dereniowski inquired.
"$20," Sam said.
"Can I give a thousand bucks cash?" Dereniowski countered.
"Are you sure?" Sam asked somewhat sheepishly.
"One hundred percent," Dereniowski said.
Whoa.
But the money was just the beginning. Dereniowski also gave Sam an envelope with a note from MLB that explained that not only would he get tickets to Phillies Opening Day, but that he'd get to go on the field before the game and meet the players.
"We just laid it on him β all the surprises," Dereniowski told MLB.com later. "I don't think he processed it, to be honest with you. For anyone it's a lot to process. Imagine being seven years old and that's your dream."
A couple of days later, Sam found himself on the field at Citizens Bank Park before the Phillies took on the Braves to ring in the 2024 season. Phillies first-base coach Paco Figueroa gave him a bat, and pitcher Spencer Turnbull gave him a signed ball. Sam also got "five" from the Philly Phanatic and got the full Sea of Red experience.
It was a whirlwind day that most definitely was met with Sam's approval.
"I asked him, 'On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate today?'" Dereniowski said. "He said, 'Today was the best day I've ever had.'"
Lauren Kostoff confirms.
"It was definitely all we heard about," she said.
The only damper on the day was that the Phillies lost to the Braves, 9-3. But that hardly mattered.
"He won't forget the day," Dereniowski said. "He'll probably forget the score, but he won't forget the day."
Neither will Lauren Kostoff, who remains thankful to Dereniowski and MLB for the opportunity they gave to Sam.
"Zach is as genuine as he comes off. ... It just felt real," she said, noting that the feeling of authenticity extended to everyone she dealt with during the experience. "It felt like they really want to do good. It didn't feel like people were in it for the photo op or the this or that. It felt really, really nice."
Dereniowski was just happy to help. The day was about more than a monetary contribution, he said.
"The money's great," he said, "but knowing that that memory, that experience β to see, feel, touch your dream β to know that that will live with him hopefully forever, is priceless."