MINNEAPOLIS -- A wave of cheers echoed down the hall on the fourth floor of the University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital.
As Kyle Rudolph and Michael Floyd entered a patient's room, the two were met with an unexpected sight. It might have been Halloween but make no mistake, the folks dressed up from head to toe in Detroit Lions garb were cheering the two Minnesota Vikings players standing before them.
Matt, a 21-year-old from the Detroit area, is surrounded by his parents and grandparents as he recovers from the bone marrow transplant he received two weeks ago. While his allegiances might be to the NFC North team from Michigan, he'll warmly remember the Vikings players who visited him during his battle with pediatric cancer.
As part of Rudolph's second annual "Halloween Huddle," the tight end and several of his teammates traveled from room to room, engaging in some reverse trick-or-treating, bringing gifts and Vikings swag to those who were confined to their quarters.
On the first floor of the hospital, Laquon Treadwell and a young boy grabbed hats from the costume bin and busted out their best Michael Jackson impression, complete with his signature one-hand pose. Blake Bell gushed over an infant in a stroller while Aviante Collins, Kyle Carter, Rashod Hill, Nick Easton and Jeremiah Sirles handed out candy to eager recipients and stopped to take photos with fans.
Ahead of the Vikings' bye week, this one afternoon hour provided a sense of normalcy for those battling illnesses and gave these players a dose of perspective.
It hits home for Treadwell, whose daughter Madison is around the age of many of these patients.
As a kid, the wide receiver's mother instilled in him the values of giving back by bringing him to visit hospitals and homeless shelters. It's something that has become a big part of his identity.
"It grew on me to be around people that are less fortunate," Treadwell said. "I try to keep my heart pure."
The event is one of three that Rudolph and his wife Jordan host at the hospital each year. Another will take place at Thanksgiving and when December rolls around, the tight end will hold his Christmas party in the newly constructed "Kyle Rudolph's End Zone," a 2,500-square-foot space at Masonic, where patients of all ages can relax and engage in therapeutic play.
As a father to twin 1-year-old girls, each trip Rudolph makes to the hospital becomes more meaningful.
"It's great when you come to one of these on a Tuesday after a win and everyone's happy, but if we don't play well, we don't win on a Sunday and you have one of these on a Tuesday after, it puts you into reality in a hurry," Rudolph said. "You go visit these patients and no matter the circumstances that they've been dealt with, you still see their personalities and I think that’s one of the coolest things."
The Vikings' partnership with the hospital started years ago with regular visits from members of the offensive line, and the tradition has since been carried on by Rudolph and his wife.
Sirles got a kick out of seeing how the littlest patients reacted when he and his O-line teammates paid them a visit on Tuesday.
"I think a lot of times kids aren't expecting us to be as big as we are," he said. "Some kids are really taken aback and some kids are just blunt like, 'You guys are big!' It's fun to pick some of the kids up and have them be like, 'This is what you see all the time?'"
Since he has been with Minnesota, Sirles is a regular at the Vikings' UMMC events. Seeing how important the cause is to his teammates sparked his own interest of wanting to get involved.
"I have so much fun coming down here and seeing the kids and their faces light up," he said. "Even seeing the parents when we walk in the room. They're going through just as much as the kids. To be able to bring five, 10 minutes and talk about life, football and something fun, it's just something I think that's a blast to do.
"You talk to the guy [Rudolph] and you can just feel he genuinely cares about everything that he does. He does a phenomenal job with these and I try to make as many as I can out of support for the kids and out of support for Kyle."