Connecticut teen with rare blood disorder surprised with Banana Ball tickets – NBC Connecticut

Banana Ball fans packed a Hartford Dunkin’ Saturday morning as players from the Party Animals and Indianapolis Clowns kicked off the final day of their Connecticut stop with a public meet-and-greet.

From 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., players served customers behind the counter, signed autographs, posed for photos and danced with fans. Chompers, the Hartford Yard Goats mascot, and Peanuts, the Indianapolis Clowns mascot, also joined the celebration, helping turn an ordinary Dunkin’ run into a Banana Ball experience.

For one fan, however, the morning became even more memorable.

“I did not expect this at all,” 14-year-old Daniela Ciriello said after players surprised her and her family with four tickets to Saturday night’s Party Animals and Indianapolis Clowns game.

The surprise was coordinated by Connecticut Children’s, where Ciriello is a patient.

Ciriello lives with beta thalassemia, a rare genetic blood disorder that has required blood transfusions every three weeks since she was 14 months old. She has also turned her experience into advocacy through Daniela’s Dream for a Cure, a nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness of beta thalassemia and supporting efforts to find a cure.

“I have a rare blood disorder called beta thalessemia where every three weeks, I need to get a blood transfusion because, you know, because my body doesn’t produce enough white blood cells,” Ciriello said. “So I get blood transfusions with all the donors who donate blood. The blood with the blood transfusions. And then I have to do it again every three weeks.”

She said opportunities like Saturday’s help her put those treatments aside, even if only for a day.

“It’s really great because I like being like, I usually can’t be a kid all the time with all I have to go through,” Ciriello said. “So having like a nice fun day, meeting the players on your way to the game is really fun. It lets me be free and have a great day.”

Party Animals player Bryson Bloomer said moments like that are what make community appearances special.

“Fulfilling, you know?” Bloomer said. “It’s not every night we get to go out there and get to have fun for ourselves. But anytime we can spread that joy, that love for our fans, it’s beautiful.”

Saturday’s meet-and-greet was part of a weekend that brought Banana Ball fans from across the region to Hartford. While hundreds of fans came to meet players, collect autographs and celebrate the sport’s unique brand of entertainment, the event also gave one Connecticut teenager a day she’ll never forget.