A teen football fan, open-heart surgery survivor and loyal “Swiftie” is reliving her best day: Playing ball with NFL stars Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes.
“My friend said I basically met Taylor Swift because I met Travis Kelce,” Myka Eilers, 14, tells TODAY.com.
Growing up in California, Myka says she lived in a “football house” where her parents Todd and Angela shared their passion for sports and the NFL with Myka and her siblings. The Kansas City Chiefs — namely quarterback Mahomes and tight end Kelce — are dear to Myka.
As a newborn, Myka was diagnosed with pulmonary valve stenosis. According to Cleveland Clinic, it’s when the pulmonary valve of the heart narrows and affects blood flow to the lungs.
When she was an infant, Myka had two open-heart surgeries to widen her pulmonary artery and remove her valve. “It was in such bad shape that there was no repairing it,” Myka’s mother Angela Eilers tells TODAY.com. “She may eventually need a valve replacement.”
People with pulmonary valve stenosis often have trouble breathing and tire easily. Doctors said Myka’s ability to play sports might be limited. However, Myka played soccer, softball and football throughout childhood. Her disease “has never held her back,” says Angela Eilers.
Myka loves competition — she’s the quarterback of her flag football team and she dreams of becoming the first female NFL player. “I feel happy when I win,” Myka tells TODAY.com.
In 2019, Myka suffered from debilitating migraines, a symptom of heart valve disease. Angela Eilers submitted a Make-A-Wish application for her daughter. The organization fulfills the wishes of children with critical illnesses.
Myka was granted an initial wish to take a Disney cruise; however when the pandemic postponed her journey, she changed her mind. She wanted to meet Mahomes instead.
Soon, the Eilers heard back from Make-A-Wish: The Kansas City Chiefs were going to make Myka’s dream come true.
To prepare for the surprise, Myka’s parents hosted a flag football practice in their backyard. To explain why a film crew was present, they told Myka that her league was filming an advertisement for female football players.
In the middle of practice, the Kansas City Chiefs’ mascot KC Wolf bounded into the backyard, delivering Myka’s invitation to Kansas City, Missouri to meet her idols.
“I felt overwhelmed, really happy and excited,” Myka tells TODAY.com.
On May 25, 2022, Myka and her family traveled to Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. Myka’s stadium tour included a walk through the locker room, where she found a surprise in Mahomes’ locker: A football jersey with her name and his number, 15.
Next, the Eilers joined the Chiefs on their home field.
Mahomes introduced himself to Myka and the two fist-bumped. Then Kelce popped over for an impromptu game of football.
“Don’t take my spot though,” Mahomes jokingly warned Myka, as she prepares to throw to Kelce in a video shot by Make-A-Wish. “You can’t throw it too good, you know.”
“Ready … set … hike!” Myka yelled, rocketing the ball straight to Kelce.
“Downtown, Charlie Brown,” Kelce told Myka in the video. “We’re going deep, alright?”
“Travis was a jokester and a fun guy,” Angela Eilers recalls of the meeting.
Before the day ended, Myka signed a one-day contract with the Kansas City Chiefs
“They’re really nice and funny; just good people,” Myka says of Kelce and Mahomes. Of course, Kelce scored a few more points with Myka now that he’s hanging out with Taylor Swift.
“I think it’s really cool,” says Myka, adding, “The first time (Taylor Swift) went to Travis Kelce’s game was on my birthday” referring to the Sept. 24 game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Chicago Bears at Arrowhead Stadium.
The teen has big plans for 2024 — not only will she attend Swift’s November concert in Toronto (Myka’s second Eras Tour concert), she’s prepping for a possible Swift sighting at the Jan. 7 game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers.
Inspired by Swift’s Eras Tour bracelet trend, says Angela Eilers, “Myka is working on Chiefs-themed friendship bracelets for the game.”
