Buccaneers.com | News - Special Visitor Gives Bucs a Boost

Buccaneers WR Michael Clayton and Leigh Dittman have been close friends for years, and Clayton draws inspiration from the eight-year-old's indomitable will

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One Bucs Special Guest

Special Visitor Gives Bucs a Boost

Jun 05, 2009 - The practice fields behind One Buccaneer Place, where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in the midst of five weeks of organized team activity (OTA) practices, are the site of much hard work and determination. Dozens of players push themselves each day, testing their will as they try to impress the Bucs' coaching staff and earn a permanent spot on the team.

Amid all of this, there was one person at practice on Tuesday whose spirit and determination stood out from the rest, and whose presence on the field served as an inspiration to all of the Buccaneers.

Leigh Dittman, a bubbly eight-year-old girl from Lutz, Florida, visited One Buc Place Tuesday morning for a special visit with her favorite team. Though this was Dittman’s first trip to the Bucs’ state-of-the-art training facility, she was no stranger to many of the faces around the building. The young fan, who battles Osteogenesis Imperfecta (commonly known as Brittle Bone Disease), has developed a close relationship with numerous players through her passion for the Bucs and her commitment to giving back to Shriners Hospital, the health care system that has cared for her throughout her life.

As the Buccaneer players left the practice field shortly after noon on Tuesday, Dittman greeted each one with a huge smile.

“I think today is a good day because I get to come out and watch the players that I like on the Bucs and I get to watch them practice,” she said. “It’s a great opportunity for me because I’m a huge fan!”

"She is an inspiration to us all, the way she fights. Everyone who talks to her falls in love with her."

Dittman arrived in her best Buccaneers outfit — a cheerleader uniform with a Bucs bow in her hair — and was accompanied by her parents, Ellen and David. The special visitor was greeted with a backpack full of Bucs gear, including a football, a stash of school supplies for the fall and her favorite, a “Fan of the Day” pin, which she quickly fastened to her chest.

Dittman and her family were given a tour of the facility, peeking into the auditorium, media studio, locker room, weight room and players lounge. While viewing the studio, Dittman was given the opportunity to get a picture behind the podium, where she proudly made the announcement that the Buccaneers would win the Super Bowl this year. The tour concluded with a stop at the fields, where she and her family settled in to watch the team’s morning practice.

One by one, the players stopped by Dittman's circle, chatted with the young fan and signed her football.

Wide receiver Michael Clayton lingered the longest. The two have become well-acquainted through various charity events over the past five years, and Clayton has even surprised Leigh with a visit to the Dittman house on Christmas Eve. The two are close friends, close enough for Dittman to feel comfortable making the polite suggestion that Clayton should clean up his locker.

Clayton may be Dittman's biggest fan.

“She is an inspiration to us all, the way she fights," he said. "Everyone who talks to her falls in love with her. The moment I met Leigh [as a rookie in 2004] she started crying, and that’s a very special thing. I hold her close to my heart, and she’ll forever be in my prayers.”

Since birth, Dittman has been a patient at Shriners Hospitals for Children-Tampa, part of the 22 hospital health care system that provides specialty pediatric care at no charge to families. Ellen and David Dittman were just married when they had Leigh, and Shriners has helped their daughter with multiple surgeries, therapy, and other care throughout her entire life. When the young Dittman was just three years old she initiated the Shriners Charity Event to raise money and give back to the hospital that has been there for her.

“She thinks that Shriners has done so much for her that she should give back also,” noted Ellen when speaking about her daughter’s remarkable charity. Now in its sixth year, the event has surpassed the previous’ year’s fundraising efforts each year since its inception, and the Dittmans hope to continue the trend this September.

The Leigh Dittman Shriners Charity Event will be held on Saturday, September 12 at the India Cultural Center at 5511 Lynn Road in Tampa. The free event will include donation requests at the door as well as food, drinks, dancing, auctions and raffles.

“Everybody should come because it’s a disease that kids suffer from, but they fight every day,” said Clayton. “Every little bit helps, and I encourage everyone to donate whatever you can.”

For more information on Leigh Dittman and this year’s fundraiser, please visit www.leighdittman.com.

Shriners Hospitals for Children is a one-of-a-kind international health care system of 22 hospitals dedicated to improving the lives of children by providing specialty pediatric care, innovative research and outstanding teaching programs. Children up to age 18 with orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate are eligible for admission and receive all care in a family-centered environment at no charge — regardless of financial need. Shriners Hospitals relies on the generosity of donors to deliver this mission every day.

For more information on Shriners Hospitals in the Bay area, please click here.