The day ‘the Astro’ came to visit
Correa, fiancée make kids’ day with trip to hospital he describes as ‘most fun I’ve had’ since Series
Astros star Carlos Correa said he was the most excited person in the building when he visited with patients at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital on Tuesday.
Correa’s permasmile gave proof to his words, but there’s no way his excitement meter topped that of 5-year-old Isaiah Wilkins.
Isaiah’s day was hard to beat. On Monday morning, he underwent heart surgery, and barely more than 24 hours later, he not only was on his way to a full recovery, but he literally was jumping up and down at the chance to meet Correa.
“I’m next,” said Isaiah as he first bounced excitedly, then made his way around a group of reporters who were documenting Correa’s every move with their iPhones.
When Isaiah finally got face-to-face with a kneeling Correa, he gave the Astros star a big hug. Then, he leaped as high as he could when Correa jokingly put his hand up for a high-five way above Isaiah’s head.
“That was the Astro,” Isaiah said knowingly. “He won the World Series.”
Ricky Wilkins is used to seeing that type of energy from his son, who weighed just 1 pound, 14 ounces when he was born prematurely.
“He’s always excited anyway, but I’m really surprised to see him like this just a day after heart surgery,” Wilkins said. “It’s great that Carlos Correa could visit and make everyone’s day like this.”
Correa insisted it was the other way around. Ever since winning the World Series and getting engaged to Daniella Rodriguez on the same night two weeks ago, Correa and Rodriguez have been on a whirlwind tour that included apperances on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and Steve Harvey’s daytime show.
“I’ve been everywhere, but for me, this is the most fun I’ve had, because I got to spend time with the kids,” Correa said. “I love kids, and to be able to spend time with them, bring a smile to their faces, be able to play around with them a little bit and take pictures with them ... it means everything to me.”
Correa gave all the credit for the hospital visit to Rodriguez, who also walked around talking to as many kids and families as she could.
“She was like, ‘We’ve been doing a lot of flying and everything, but when we get back to Houston and we settle down, we should go to the children’s hospital and you should go over and meet some kids and make their day better just by showing up and being able to spend some time with them,’” Correa said. “I thought it was a great idea, so she planned it out. We’re here today because of her.”
One of the patients Correa got to meet was 11-day-old Zoey Weinlein, who was born with a rare disorder called Argininosuccinic Aciduria that causes a buildup of acids in a child’s blood and urine. Zoey’s parents, Bill and Nikki, were so excited by Correa’s visit, they handed their baby to the tentative Astros star.
“I was more nervous than Game 7 and the proposal right there,” Correa said. “I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, she’s (11) days old, and I’m holding her. I better not drop her.’ So, I was being super careful.”
After the media left the hospital, Correa and Rodriguez stopped by the rooms of patients who weren’t able to get out of bed to see Correa’s big entrance.
“For me, it’s about using this platform to be able to impact other people’s lives, and I (hope) I’m doing that right now with these kids,” Correa said. “You can see it on their faces when they see you and they smile and they’re happy. That really fills me.”