DALLAS _ A year has passed. Another Christmas nears. Quietly, Dirk Nowitzki a few days ago continued his decade-plus tradition of visiting Children's Medical Center Dallas, this time without me.
Last December, Uncle Dirk, as he's come to be known at Children's, graciously allowed me to shadow him during his visit. The idea was to shine a light on the brave kids, their families, the miracle workers at Children's by sharing a story that never had been told.
Uncle Dirk.
I knew my tagging along was a one-time thing, though. Because if we know one thing about Dirk Nowitzki beyond his greatness as a basketball player, it's that he prefers his numerous off-the-court deeds to remain private.
So instead of joining Uncle Dirk on this year's visit, I spoke to him the following morning at Mavericks practice and asked how it went.
And whereas last Christmas was about conveying the moments _ the smiles, the tears, the wonderment _ this time I wanted to get a sense of the fuller impact of Dirk's visits, so I circled back with two of the families from last year's visit and one from 2015.
Nowitzki said he individually visited and gave gifts to 17 kids this year. There were, as usual, heartbreaking moments. He saw struggling parents. One father told Nowitzki that his 2-year-old son already has had several heart surgeries.
"He said, 'Hey, my son is such a fighter and warrior, he's my role model,' " Nowitzki said. "I said, 'Hey, tell me about it.'"
Nowitzki paused and looked down at his right forearm.
"Those stories bring goosebumps to me now."
In the year since accompanying Nowitzki at Children's, slipping on gowns and masks and latex gloves when he did, I've often thought of the 19 kids we saw that day.
Especially the one who, a few weeks after that visit, died. Nowitzki said that when word came through a Children's staffer, it hit hard. Unfortunately, though, it's not unusual.
Thresa Belcher, the Children's director of child life and social work who coordinates Nowitzki's annual visits, says the patients Nowitzki visits and brings gifts for typically have the most complicated medical histories and face long admissions and odds.
"If I can help lift spirits, help them keep fighting, believing, then that's obviously well worth it for all of us involved," Nowitzki said.
Of the roughly 200 kids Nowitzki has seen at Children's alone over the years _ and that doesn't count the other hospitals he has visited by himself or with his teammates _ many have triumphed, or are in the process of doing so.
Here are three.
