The UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center recently got a special visit from a member of the Bolts.
As part of the continued partnership between UCLA Health and the Chargers, Denzel Perryman dropped by the hospital on in late January to surprise patients and staff.
The veteran linebacker went around to a handful of units throughout the hospital as he handed out Chargers swag and took the time to interact with everyone on hand.
It was a special visit that brighten the day of numerous patients, all of whom lit up at the chance to meet and talk with Perryman.
"For the patients, they're somewhat isolated sometimes and don't get to go out much," said Eric Glassner, Associate Director of Corporate Partnerships for UCLA Health. "To have someone like Denzel, who brings such an amazing presence, to visit them, it meant so much to these people. You just see the way their eyes, smiles light up in every way."
Genie Logan, the Nurse and Administration Supervisor at UCLA Health, added: "It means so much to everyone just to bring the joy and uplifting everyone. Just to have somebody show up and show support, it's been really meaningful."
Perryman spent some time going room to room, meeting different patients in the geriatric center and sparking up conversations.
The linebacker said after the event that these are the days he cherishes the most.
"{it's just] the impact it has on the people," Perryman said. "Walking into the room, seeing their energy change and us having that small impact on somebody's life… You never know how your smile, the conversation, ask somebody how they're doing, how that could help somebody with what they're going through.
"As I was walking through the hospital and going through different rooms, I saw exactly [that]," he added.
Perryman's visit provided some patients with a unique and thrilling opportunity — the chance to meet an NFL player in person.
"Stuff like that is awesome. It's good to go back and give to the community," Perryman said. "There were some Chargers fans in there, so it's good to go put smiles on people's faces. One of the ladies in there, she was like, 'It's finally good to see one of you players live and in person.'
"That stuck with me in there," he added.
And for as big as much as the visit meant a lot for the patients, Perryman also showed his appreciation for the staff on hand.
Perryman's first stop included getting to meet the staff on one of the floors and talking to them and taking the time to sign merchandise.
He did the same on the other floors as well, taking pictures with everyone as he showed his appreciation for the work they do.
"For the staff, they work really long hours, and they don't see people like Denzel come through and say hello," Glassner said. "For him, to see him come into the hospital and just embrace everybody who crowded around him in such a meaningful way and was willing to sign autographs for anyone and take selfies with anyone, was truly incredible.
"You can't really put a price on the joy that he brought," Glassner added.
Logan added: "I've never seen that many staff just come and want to participate. They were just happy. I thought four or five people would show up."
For as much as many thanked Perryman for making their day with his visit, he feels the same way towards all the work they do.
"A lot of people that wanted to take pictures, happy that I came by, appreciated that I came by, that it was the highlight of their day," Perryman said. "But they don't know it was the highlight of my day.
"Just having some kind of impact on somebody's life whether it's a smile, picture, a hug, a sign, anything," he added. "They do a lot of work, so just like they were telling me they appreciated me being here, I was telling them I appreciate them for all they do. They're real heroes."
It was yet another opportunity for the Chargers to give back to the community and show their support for both patients and staff alike.
"It's one of the reasons we've partnered with the Chargers, because of what they can bring to not only our staff, but to our patients," Glassner said. "There's such a giant community that UCLA Health has, not only from UCLA Health staff but UCLA Health patients and families who are Chargers fans.
"To see how many people in our building knew Denzel and told him how big of fans they were of him was amazing," Glassner added. "It was really amazing to see those interactions."
