MIDDLEBOROUGH, Mass. —
Dominic Driscoll, 12, is a standout on the baseball diamond for many reasons.

“He’s got this rare combination of talent, effort and attitude,” said Drew McKenna, the president of the Middleboro Little League.

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His parents, Kristen and Bill Driscoll, said that since birth, their son has been full of surprises.

Born with a congenital heart defect, he’s had three open-heart surgeries, but they said that even as an infant, he was stronger than expected.

“You could tell immediately, like, he was a fighter,” Bill Driscoll said.

An All-Star shortstop, his coaches said they have been surprised not only by his work ethic, but also by his kindness.

“A lot of kids, when they’re so much better … can get a little aloof, and he wasn’t like that at all,” McKenna said. “He was always wanting to jump in right with the kids and help out.”

When Driscoll learned about another boy with a heart condition similar to his, his parents said it wasn’t a surprise to them that he wanted to do something.

TJ Olsen is the son of former NFL tight end Greg Olsen. This summer, the 8-year-old needed a heart transplant.

“Dom said, ‘He’s not gonna be able to play this year, but I’m gonna play for him,’” Bill Driscoll said.

“I decided to put his name on my hat and every game ball, home run ball that I got, I would send to him after the season,” Driscoll said.

Recently, after learning of Driscoll’s effort to support his son, Greg Olsen participated in a surprise Zoom call to thank him.

“I wanted to just jump on here and say hello and tell you how much it meant to all of us that you kind of shared TJ and shared his story and kept him in your heart,” Olsen told Driscoll. “It brought him so much joy in the hospital.”

“I’m always proud of him,” Kristen Driscoll said. “It’s been such a journey. He’s a really humble kid and I just feel like he’s always like looking out for everybody else.”

His heart now considered repaired after a surgery in 2019, Driscoll said he plans to continue to raise awareness for Olsen’s HEARTest Yard Foundation, which supports pediatric heart patients.

Find more information about the foundation here.

An online fundraiser is selling shirts in support of Greg Olsen’s youngest son, TJ, as he waits for a new heart.

Olsen, the former Panthers tight end, revealed last month that TJ would likely need a new heart soon. He was recently placed on a heart transplant list.

TJ Olsen was born with a congenital heart defect in 2012. He has had three open-heart surgeries and has lived with a modified heart for the past eight years.

But his heart is reaching its end, Olsen said on social media last month.

Karin Giglio and her neighbor, Vanessa Smitz, who is a family friend of the Olsens, started the fundraiser this week.

“We want TJ to know all the teams are supporting him,” Giglio said in a phone interview. “To show TJ everyone is thinking of him and pulling for him.”

Shirt prices range from $15 to $30. The fundraiser has been shared by the Carolina Panthers and Greg Olsen on social media. Since then, they have raised more than $6,000 so far, Giglio said.

All proceeds from the shirt sales go to the HEARTest Yard foundation.

In 2013, the Olsens established the HEARTest Yard to help children born with congenital heart issues similar to TJ’s. The foundation has donated money to the Levine Children’s Hospital so that pediatric heart patients can be provided home care and additional therapy once they are discharged from the hospital.

Many of Olsen’s former teammates have been supportive of the family.

“Our hearts go out to the family, especially to TJ,” former Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis said last week. “Him being the kid, he’s been dealing with his entire life. He’s one of the strongest kids that we all know, and he’s gonna continue to fight. We know that he’s going to pull through this.”

Former Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly said the same.

“TJ is a powerful guy, Greg and Kara, the whole family is strong, same as TJ,” he said. “He’s going to pull through, but I think the more we can think about it, the more we can think about TJ and that Olsen family, having our thoughts and prayers, I think that’s just probably the best thing everybody can do is something short, sweet and easy. I think that goes a long way.”

As Greg Olsen and Thomas Davis prepare to retire on Thursday, we have already discussed the on field impact that Greg has had with the Carolina Panthers, but now it is time to talk about his legacy that extends well beyond the field. As you all are probably well versed in by now, the story of Greg Olsen’s son TJ is one of great medical triumph and a realization by Olsen that he can make a difference in the world using his status as a pro athlete. For those not familiar with the story, TJ was born with a very rare and serious congenital heart condition known as hypo-plastic left heart syndrome or HLHS, which you can read more about here.

In the end, after enduring this particularly trying hardship, Greg Olsen realized that his family was fortunate. That because of his wealth and access to care, he was able to get the best treatment available for TJ, no matter the cost, and no matter how far they need to travel. Realizing that his situation is a rarity, he wanted to do something to give back. So, he established a pair of foundations “The Heartest Yard” and “Receptions for Research” which have now grown and flourished into a full blown, 25,000 square foot care facility at Levine Children’s Hospital knows as the “HEARTest Yard Congenital Heart Center.”

The Olsen family has donated $2.5 million dollars to invest in the project from Greg’s foundations, and a unknown amount of funds directly from his earnings in the NFL. In total, it is known that the Olsen’s have both raised and donated of themselves over $5 million dollars to help provide care and assistance to families battling these very serious genetic conditions.

One of those families is actually that of a good friend of mine that dates back to my childhood. Him and his wife’s son, Fischer, was born with HLHS, precisely the exact same condition as TJ Olsen. Thanks to the HEARTest Yard foundation, he and his wife were given assistance with temporary housing and expenses (both medical and personal) to move to Charlotte so that Fischer could be born under the supervision of pulmonary specialists at Levine Children’s hospital, and then endure the three open heart surgeries necessary to correct the issue. Today, Fischer is a happy and healthy 10 month old baby, thanks in no small part to the assistance provided.

As a fan base, we have been very fortunate to have players making large impacts both on field and in the community the way Olsen and Davis have. I think it is fitting that both of these community magnates are going to celebrate their retirement together, and that both consider the Charlotte area their permanent homes. I’d like to see both of them not only in the Panthers Ring of Honor, but with statues outside or inside the stadium. They are both the stuff of legends.

Tight end Greg Olsen will sign a one-day contract with the Carolina Panthers on March 11 before officially retiring.

Olsen wrapped up his a 14-year NFL career, announcing the news of his retirement on the FOX pregame show prior to the NFC Championship game in January. His career ranks among the top tight ends in NFL history.

He will join former teammate Thomas Davis in signing a one-day contract with the organization, doing so on the exact same day with both taking part in a virtual press conference. The pair overlapped as teammates from 2011-18.

Olsen, 35, spent nine years with the Panthers after being traded by Chicago in 2011 for a third-round pick. With the Panthers, he became one of Cam Newton’s most reliable targets. His final season was spent with the Seattle Seahawks, but he dealt with injuries during the second half of the year.

He will move on to his career as a FOX sports broadcaster, a deal he signed last year. While he was still playing, he did some analyst work for the network.

A three-time Pro Bowler (2014-16), Olsen is also the Panthers’ all-time leading tight end in receiving yards (6,463), receptions (524) and 100-yard receiving games (11). In terms of Carolina receiving records, he ranks third all-time in yards and receptions behind Steve Smith and Muhsin Muhammad, and fourth in receiving touchdowns (39).

Despite a successful career in Carolina, Olsen did not leave the Panthers on the best of terms in 2020. With one year remaining on his deal and a desire to stay despite the beginning of a rebuild, Olsen was released about a month after the season ended. He later spoke out about the parting and how his “pride was hurt.”

“I never asked the team to let me go,” Olsen told The Observer last February. “I never said I didn’t want to be part of whatever future direction they are going. It just wasn’t meant to be. It wasn’t in their plans.”

The Seahawks then signed him to a one-year, $7 million deal, despite interest from other teams like the Buffalo Bills. In his final season, he played in 11 regular-season games, catching 24 passes for 239 yards and one touchdown.

He was twice named the Panthers’ finalist for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award. Olsen and his wife, Kara, established The HEARTest Yard fund as part of the Greg Olsen Foundation after one of his children, T.J., was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a congenital heart disease.

The family has done significant charity work with the Levine’s Children Hospital, including donating $2.5 million last year to help build a pediatric cardiovascular and congenital heart outpatient clinic. That clinic — The HEARTest Yard Congenital Heart Center at Levine Children’s — opened this year

When it comes to famous Carolina Panthers players, former tight end Greg Olsen and former linebacker Thomas Davis are two of the best.

This may explain why Olsen decided to join Davis for a double retirement ceremony.

On Wednesday, Davis announced his retirement and his plans to sign a ceremonial one-day contract with the Carolina Panthers on March 11.

The All-Pro linebacker was released by the Washington Football Team but was expected to call it a career after the 2020 season.

Olsen, who announced his retirement from the Panthers back in January, responded to that announcement with a simple tweet that read: “Sounds fun, see you there.”

Davis will officially retire with the team he began his career with and helped reach the Super Bowl.

“To the Carolina fanbase,” Davis said, “I just want to say to you guys, you have been tremendous throughout my entire career. I can not thank you guys enough for your love and support.”

Olsen was drafted by the Chicago Bears in 2007 but traded to the Panthers in 2011, where he spent the next nine seasons. The team says Olsen is their “all-time leader in receiving yards (6,463), receptions (524) and 100-yard receiving games (10) by a tight end.”

In his nine seasons with Carolina, Olsen made three Pro Bowls and one Super Bowl and had 524 catches for 6,463 yards and 39 touchdowns. He also was a team leader for the Panthers.

Olsen is also known for the impact he had on the Charlotte community. In December, he shared the first look at the new pediatric cardiac center at Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte funded largely by his foundation.

In May 2019, Atrium Health announced then-Panthers star Olsen’s foundation had donated $2.5 million for the center. The new center is named the HEARTest Yard Congenital Heart Center. The virtual grand opening was held on Dec. 7.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A new healthcare center in Charlotte is giving new hope to those struggling with heart issues.

The HEARTest Yard Congenital Heart Center at Levine Children’s Hospital opened in mid-December and offers a one-stop shop for patients of all ages with congenital heart issues.

The center, which welcomed its first two patients the week of December 14, will allow medical experts to help roughly 400 patients a year with a new, state-of-the-art location.

One of the first patients was 3-year-old Remy Shook.

Shook, who suffers with ASD, meaning there are holes in her heart, was diagnosed at 6 months old.

Now, the rambunctious 3-year-old loves cows, being on the farm, and doing everything her older sister does, according to her mother, Michelle Shook.

“Finding out that your child has a heart problem that could affect her is a very hard thing. It’s hard to find out. So, when you have someone that takes care of your baby and treats them like they’re their own and makes them comfortable, that’s a great feeling as a parent,” Shook says about the doctors and staff at the center.

Described as a one-stop-shop, Remy Shook will be able to be treated at the center for the rest of her life, if circumstances necessitate care.

“We walk in and it’s huge! It was cool, and they were so excited,” Michelle Shook says about their first appointment.

She says the new facility is a marked improvement from the past with areas to play, seek privacy, and more space.

“There’s a lot more little areas for her to go play and her to play at, and there’s a lot more rooms and just the rooms are bigger!” Shook said on a Zoom call with reporters.

The center can now handle medical evaluations, referrals, and other appointments internally that it may have needed to outsource in the past, according to Dr. Joseph Paolillo.

Also, the HEARTest Yard Congenital Heart Center can now care for patients from prenatal to old age.

Paolillo says the new space is a bright spot in what’s been a challenging 10 months.

“Our [old] clinic was overbooked, our waiting room was crowded, and to have the ability to care for our patients in a way that should be cared for is an incredible feeling to know that we can give patients the care that they deserve, the care that they need, in a setting that they also deserve,” Paolillo says.

Former Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen donated to the effort to build the facility, along with funding from Atrium Health. The new center had a virtual ribbon-cutting ceremony, which Olsen and his family attended, and staff and patients are hopeful it puts Charlotte’s congenital heart capabilities in the spotlight.

“Our goal is to be a national player in caring for children with heart problems they were born with,” Paolillo says simply.

Doctors and patients alike say the new center is a symbol of hope.

“It’s bright, it’s inviting, it makes patients and families feel comfortable,” Paolillo says with a smile.

“There’s hope, I mean when we first started this, we thought she was going to have to have open-heart surgery. The medical field has come such a long way in such a short period of time, and opportunities have opened up,” Michelle Shook says.

Greg Olsen was not just a dynamic, big-play football player who spent nine seasons with the Carolina Panthers.

He made Charlotte his home, raised his children here, and submerged himself with the community.

Olsen, a three-time Pro Bowl performer for the Panthers, announced his retirement Sunday following his 14th season in the National Football League.

His legacy in Charlotte will be marked just as much for his generous contributions off the gridiron, as it was for capturing nearly every single record by a tight end in the franchise’s history.

Olsen brought his Greg Olsen Foundation, which provides resources to families affected by cancer and cardiovascular diseases, to the community.

[ Longtime Carolina Panther Greg Olsen announces retirement from NFL ]

He has been instrumental in starting the HEARTest Yard program with the Atrium Health’s Levine Children’s Hospital, which raises money and provides programmatic support for children with congenital heart diseases.

Olsen, and his wife Kara, had their son T.J. in 2012, who was born at Levine Children’s Hospital with a very complex, critical congenital heart defect called hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

T.J. underwent three open-heart surgeries and a few other heart procedures over the next two and a half years.

The Olsen’s son is healthy, thanks to the staff at Levine Children’s Hospital, which is where he started the HEARTest Yard program, while playing for the Panthers.

“Greg is just such a great advocate for children, for the community, for parents of children with heart defects,” said Kari Crawford, a nurse practitioner at Levine Children’s Hospital. “He gets to help in so many facets of our community. So every year, it seems like it is able to grow for all different parts of the not just the cardiac program.”

Even though Olsen spent his final season with the Seattle Seahawks, and plans to work in broadcasting for Fox, Crawford says Olsen continues to support and give back to Levine Children’s Hospital.

“So ultimately, he helps a number of organizations here in the community, in addition to his HEARTest Yard program,” Crawford said. “There is no other center like this in the state of North Carolina. and we are blessed to have it and are excited to grow it and offer these services because of their support.”

Even in post-retirement, Crawford thinks the Olsens will continue to be around to help grow the hospital to endless opportunities, especially for children with a congenital heart defect.

“Well, if you ever met Greg, he keeps his eye on the prize and he dreams big,” Crawford said. “So no telling when it comes to him and Kara and all the fantastic ideas they have. We will do whatever we can to support it.”

Olsen was a two-time finalist for the NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.

[ Former Panther Greg Olsen advocates for schools opening in social media post to City of Charlotte, state leaders ]

“(I’m) proud of what I was able to accomplish in this league, proud of the relationships and everything that the game has given me. But sometimes, when it’s time, it’s time and my time in the NFL now has come to an end. I’m excited for the next chapter,” Olsen said on Fox Sunday afternoon. “I’ve got it all out of my system.”

He played nine seasons with the Panthers, becoming the franchise’s all-time leader in receiving yards, receptions and 100-yard games by a tight end.

[ Greg Olsen to join Fox as NFL analyst after retirement ]

Olsen made the Pro Bowl three times with the Panthers and was selected to the AP All-Pro Second Team twice.

Olsen, who was drafted by the Chicago Bears in 2007, was traded to Carolina in 2011. He played his 14th and final pro season this year with the Seattle Seahawks.

[ Greg Olsen on Charlotte being “home,” his charity and why he’s joining the Seahawks ]

From 2014-16, he piled up three-straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons.

Olsen tallied 6,463 receiving yards, 524 receptions 10 100-yard receiving games and 39 touchdowns in those nine years in Charlotte.

“It was a great ride.”

That’s how Greg Olsen views his 14-year career in the NFL.

That’s how he retired Sunday.

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The 35-year-old former Super Bowl and three-time Pro Bowl tight end posted his retirement message on his social-media accounts online two weeks after his only season with the Seahawks ended with a first-round playoff loss.

He has a job as a football analyst for Fox Sports television—plus his wife and children, their charity and his work for kids with congenital heart disorders—waiting for him.

“To the countless teammates, coaches and staff members in Chicago, Seattle, and especially Carolina, I thank you,” Olsen wrote Sunday. “You molded and shaped me into the person I am today. I’ll cherish those personal relationships more than anything else. This career is built on relationships, and in that area I was so fortunate.”

Olsen was the Bears’ 31st-overall choice in the first round of the 2007 draft. In 2015 he had 77 catches for 1,104 yards and seven touchdowns. He made his second of three straight Pro Bowls for a 15-1 Carolina Panthers team that beat Seattle on their way to Super Bowl 50. The Panthers lost that title game to Denver.

When Olsen signed with Seattle 12 months ago for one season and $7 million, he said winning the Super Bowl was his purpose.

After 24 catches in 37 targets with one touchdown for the NFC West-champion Seahawks—who didn’t get near the production in the passing game they sought when signing him—winning it all remains the one career goal that eluded him.

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“I try not to look back and have regrets. I have so much I am proud of over my career,” Olsen wrote. “But as I look back on my career, I have two. I regret never reaching the top of the mountain. I regret walking off the field under the weight of confetti, but realizing our dream came up short.”

He is a hero in Charlotte, North Carolina. Last month, the day after he missed his second game with a major foot injury, Olsen and his wife Kara opened The HEARTest Yard Congenital Heart Center at Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte.

He and Kara run his foundation based in Charlotte from his nine seasons playing for the Panthers through last year, Receptions For Research. Each spring the Olsens host The HEARTest Yard event and 5K race in Charlotte to raise awareness and funds for children with congenital heart disorders.

Their 8-year-old son T.J. was born was a congenital heart defect.

Their new center at Levine Children’s Hospital, in conjunction with Atrium Health, has been eight years in the planning and funding by the Olsens.

He impacted his final team, too.

The Seahawks feared his season and career had ended in November. Olsen couldn’t walk and had to be carted out of the stadium after he tore the plantar fascia in his foot during Seattle’s home win over Arizona.

TNT_1119_SEAHAWKS_CARDINALS_Full_0042.jpg
Seattle Seahawks tight end Greg Olsen is carted off. The Seattle Seahawks played the Arizona Cardinals in a NFL football game at Lumen Field in Seattle, Wash., on Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020. Joshua Bessex JBESSEX@THENEWSTRIBUNE.COM
“I refuse to allow this to be my final moment,” Olsen wrote on Twitter the day after the injury.

He then wowed the Seahawks with how quickly he returned from his second major injury in three years. He was back in one month and eight days. They knew he could have called it a career then: at 35, in the middle of a pandemic, with but a few games left in the season. He earned $70 million in his career. The $5.5 million Seattle guaranteed him on a one-year deal had already cashed. He has more millions waiting for him with his Fox TV gig.

Yet he worked his way back quickly from not being able to walk. He played in the NFC West title game, catching a pass for 15 yards as the Seahawks beat the Rams Dec. 27. He played in Seattle’s playoff loss to L.A. two weeks later.

“He’s the real deal,” Seattle coach Pete Carroll said.

“He’s made an extraordinary recovery, to get to this right now. …

“He’s such a great football player. He loves the game so much. …I mean, there is NO space other than he is at the top of the list in all of the character principles about who he is and what he is all about and what you can expect from him.

seahawks_olsen_catch.jpg
Seattle Seahawks tight end Greg Olsen is upended by Minnesota Vikings safety Anthony Harris during Sunday night’s NFL football game at Centurylink Field in Seattle, Washington, on Sunday, Oct. 11, 2020. Tony Overman TOVERMAN@THEOLYMPIAN.COM
“He is amazing,” Carroll said.

“I don’t even know how he got well this fast. I haven’t a clue how that happened. But, he did.”

His season and career ended for Olsen with a particularly empty feeling. He had no catches and played just eight offensive snaps inside Lumen Field, which was empty again Jan. 9 for Seattle’s playoff loss, because of Washington and King County restrictions for COVID-19.

“My ultimate regret was not being able to enjoy the end with my family,” Olsen wrote in his goodbye to the game Sunday. “Watching the time tick down, in an empty stadium, knowing it would be my last game. Not having the ability to be surrounded by my loved ones. Not being able to hug them and thank them for a lifetime of love and sacrifice.

“Life doesn’t always go as planned, but it was a great ride.

“Look forward to the life ahead for us.”