Giants rookies spend Halloween with children's hospital patients

On Halloween, the current class of Giants rookies upheld a tradition, visiting with children at the Sanzari Children’s Hospital at Hackensack Medical Center in New Jersey. 

As has been the consistent reaction over the years, the players got as much out of the visit as did the children. 

“It feels really good to be here,” cornerback Deonte Banks said. “It feels like winning. To put a smile on their faces, it feels like winning. It’s a great feeling. It puts you in a different [frame of mind]. We just wanted to help them out and put a smile on their face.” 

His teammates felt the same way. 

“It was real good,” said cornerback Tre Hawkins, as the visit was ending. “It’s all about giving back and having that compassion for people. Everybody’s going through something. It gives you a bigger picture on life. Especially with us here. Some of these kids are Giants fans, some are not. But the fact that they’re just happy seeing us and getting [Halloween] candy and us being supportive of them is a great thing.” 

Quarterback Tommy DeVito was touched by one youngster, in particular. 

“There was a very young little girl who was brought in, her mother brought her in, and you could see the room fill with emotion,” DeVito said. “We’re blessed to be in the position we’re in and [be able to] put a smile on their faces. You even see the parents light up because their child is happy. There’s a lot of emotion that comes from that. We’re just trying to give them an enjoyable Halloween.” 

Clearly, the Giants rookies were happy to put smiles on faces. 

“We had a tough day on Sunday [against the Jets],” DeVito said, “but our worst day is the best day for these children. From that perspective, you have to cherish every day.” 

Mark D. Sparta, President of Hackensack University Medical Center, said every visit from the Giants is important. 

“Hospitals are sometimes hard places to be for people,” he said. “Children aren’t supposed to get sick. The rookies bring a lot of cheer when they come to see the kids.” 

John Michael Schmitz said the visit reminded him of experiences he had at the University of Minnesota. 

“Our culture was based on giving back to the community,” he said. “I’m just forever grateful for everything in life. Just to bring a smile on a kid’s face, especially on Halloween, bringing them joy, it means the world to me.” 

One of the parents who attended the Halloween party was Christine Cordovez, who wore a Giants hat and described herself as a “fanatic football fan.” 

She and her son attended the season opener against Dallas, where they sat in a suite with other cancer patients. 

“The Giants treated us like royalty,” she said, adding that she found comfort in meeting other parents whose children faced medical challenges. 

Cordovez said her son, 13-year-old Jayden, has progressed but is still dealing with cancer cells in his brain. A tumor, she said, is gone. 

“I try my best every day,” she said. “I try not to cry. But I do see a lot of progress.” 

Among her most important objectives is to give her son positive reinforcement. 

“One million percent,” she said. “I’m his biggest cheerleader. Keeping his spirits up is everything.” 

The hope is that Jayden is finished with his treatments by year’s end. He wants to be an artist. And his mom said he is her hero. 

On Halloween, Jayden and the other children were all smiles. 

Thanks to some NFL rookies who helped them celebrate Halloween. 

No further deals

A day after trading defensive tackle Leonard Williams to Seattle, where he’s been reunited with former Giants teammate Julian Love, the Giants were quiet on Tuesday. The trade deadline passed without general manager Joe Schoen making another deal. 

With Daniel Jones cleared to start Sunday, the Giants made two other moves Tuesday involving quarterbacks. 

They signed DeVito, who finished Sunday’s game, to the active roster from the practice squad and they signed veteran quarterback Matt Barkley to the practice squad. Barkley has played in 19 regular season games, including eight in Buffalo from 2018-2020 when coach Brian Daboll was the Bills offensive coordinator. During that time, Barkley made one start. 

By Kimberly Jones

kimberly.jones@newsday.comkimjonessports

Kimberly Jones covers the Giants for Newsday, a beat she first worked in the early 2000s before joining the YES Network to cover the Yankees. She worked for the NFL Network for more than a decade and has been heard semi-regularly on WFAN.