FOXBORO, Mass. — A nurse from Medway battling ovarian cancer who recently outlined her bucket list to Boston 25 News received the ultimate gift a football fan can get.
After being invited to spend time on the sidelines before last Sunday’s Patriots-Chargers playoff game, team owner Robert Kraft and his wife, Dr. Dana Kraft, surprised Shelly Sepulveda with tickets to Super Bowl LX.
Shelly, a former NICU nurse, has given back to her community for years by fostering drug-addicted children and adopting five kids with her wife Tami.
She was diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer in 2024.
Over the past year, Shelly has been hospitalized nine times, and she has been on oxygen since October.
Her son Samuel’s girlfriend, Emma Barucci, had bought her tickets for the December 5 game. But Shelly ended up in the hospital for a five-day stay, receiving blood and platelet transfusions, unable to make it to the Garden.
Although she wasnt able to make it to the game, the Celtics organization reached out to Emma and sent a basketball autographed by the entire team to Shelly’s home – a complete surprise to her, a longtime fan and former basketball player herself.
Since becoming ill, Shelly has achieved her goal of traveling to the Grand Ol Opry.
Her sister-in-law stepped in for her and hiked part of the Appalachian Trail when she was too sick to make her trip.
In December, Shelly told Boston 25 News that she hoped to make it to a Patriots game.
This upcoming Sunday’s Divisional Round showdown against the Houston Texans will put the Patriots one step closer to meeting Shelly there.
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