Carly’s S-puck-tacular Dream Come True
Carly Messer is a sweet and fun-loving 16-year-old who has all the grace of a figure skater and the toughness of a competitive hockey player! What a combo! Carly grew up figure skating and started playing hockey at the age of 10, therefore she feels completely at home zooming around the ice.
When she began experiencing symptoms of blurred vision, stammered speech, airway closure, and trouble walking, her sport was instantly put on hold. Carly was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome. The rare illness, which affects 1 in 100,000 people, caused her to have to be hospitalized for two months and left her initially paralyzed and unable to speak.
But there is no holding Carly back! Her ambitious nature and desire to get back out on the ice helped her during her recovery.
Carly’s sports dream is to meet Buffalo Sabres NHL player Jeff Skinner and skate with him. Jeff is just like her, in that he also started out as a figure skater before switching to hockey. Her love and passion for the sport are all she needs and who better to share that with than Jeff Skinner!
Dream Kid Carly’s Dream had been a long time coming. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Carly’s Dream was put on hold after a FaceTime Dream reveal with Jeff Skinner in 2019.
Carly, now a hockey player at West Virginia University, headed home to Fort Mill, SC for spring break. The following day the Dream Team showed up on Carly’s doorstep bright and early to let her know that her Dream started NOW!
After landing in Buffalo, the team checked in to the Seneca Hotel Resort and Casino and made their way to The Panic Room where they escaped from an escape room. Afterwards, the team bonded over dinner.
The next day, our new friends at the Sabres, Ed and Matt, gifted the entire family Sabres gear and gave the team a private tour of the practice facility and KeyBank Center. Carly was able to watch practice at the glass and had 1:1 time with Jeff Skinner! He signed her hockey helmet and jersey that was gifted to her years ago on her Dream On 3 Signing Day.
On their final day, the Seneca Hotel Resort and Casino gifted Carly and her mom spa packages to start their day. From here the family headed to the Niagara Falls overlook where they built snowmen and even got into a few snowball fights.
That night, Carly watched her idol and her favorite team take on the NY Rangers from a private suite. As it turns out, Jeff Skinner was the only player to score a goal! We like to think that he did that just for Carly.
Check out Carly’s Dream reveal here: https://youtu.be/DwabPPxfKNM
