Teen 49ers superfan with brain condition gets ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ surprise from his favorite team

CAREY, Ohio - A teenager obsessed with all things 49ers is over-the-moon excited after receiving a dream-come-true invite from his all-time favorite team.

Ohio 17-year-old Brydon Durst was recently surprised with news that the Niners had invited him and his family to Levi’s Stadium on Sept. 20 to watch the team in its home opener against the Miami Dolphins.

The reveal

In a video shared with KTVU, dad Brian Durst was seen surprising his son with the good news. 

Before walking into the teen’s room, he talks to the camera to set the scene. 

"The 49ers called," the elated dad said. "We get to be on the field. He gets to meet the whole team and, of course, his favorite player, George Kittle. 49ers, we love you. Thank you! Let's go tell Brydon."

Brydon, wearing his favorite #85 Kittle jersey, in a room awash in red 49ers paraphernalia, is seen fully engaged in a Madden NFL video game, with his favorite team on the field.

His dad asks him to pause the game, and then fires off a series of questions, starting with, "Who’s your favorite team? Who's your favorite player?"

Without hesitation, Brydon responds, "49ers! George Kittle!" 

The dad builds up to it before finally springing the surprise.

"What if I told you the 49ers called me, and they said, on September 20th, we’re going to the 49ers versus the Miami game. You get to be on the field, you get to meet John Lynch, Kyle Shanahan, you get to meet George Kittle! You get to meet Fred Warner, you get to meet the whole team, buddy!"

The teen can hardly contain his excitement. "Oh yeah!" he exclaims as she rocks back and forth and claps his hands.    

"Are you ready?" the dad asks. "Is that the best news you’ve ever heard?"

"Heck yeah!" Brydon exclaims, as father and son high-five one another.

The video ends with the teen echoing his dad with a, "Bang bang, baby!"

Special fan treatment

Durst told KTVU the invite includes a pre-game experience, a tour of the stadium, "and hopefully," the dad said, his son will finally get to meet his football idol, George Kittle. 

Dig deeper:

Brydon, a junior in high school, lives with a congenital brain condition. 

Durst explained that his son was born without a corpus callosum. The rare condition, known as agenesis of the corpus callosum, is present at birth.

The corpus callosum is a large white matter structure, a bundle of nerve fibers that serves as a bridge between the left and right sides of the brain, allowing them to communicate with each other.

Agenesis of the corpus callosum affects about 1 in 4,000 infants born in the U.S., according to UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital.

Symptoms range from learning difficulties to developmental delays and seizures.

Brydon’s parents were told their son might never walk or talk.

"But he’s defied every expectation," Durst shared with KTVU in an interview back in February, when we first introduced the father and son, after the Niners sent their teen superfan from Ohio a special care package. The gift included a prized football autographed by Kittle along with other 49ers merch.  

Positive and inspiring

In social media videos posted by Durst, you see in Brydon a teenager full of joy and positivity, a kid who loves music, video games, and is, of course, obsessed with his Niners.

SEE ALSO: Happy tears: Young Oakland man is surprised with a work van and tools for his new business

Durst is a musician and has his own record label. He records songs with his son, and the two also perform live.

The dad has used his platform to share their music and inspirational messages in a special social media account called Brian Durst and Team Brydon. 

Passing down 49ers love to his kids

The backstory:

The Dursts live in the small village of Carey, about 50 miles south of Toledo. 

Brydon's love for the Niners was inherited from his dad, a lifelong 49er faithful.

Durst said it's been a parenting win to see both Brydon and his other son, Kyle, embrace the team he has loved since he himself was just a kid. 

The Ohio native said growing up, he was surrounded by Cleveland Browns fans, and he was always the lone Niner faithful. His love affair with the team goes back to the Niners’ golden age.   

"I grew up watching Montana and Steve Young and Rice. They were awesome," Durst told KTVU, acknowledging he may have also enjoyed being a contrarian in his family. 

Whatever it was that drew him to the team, it stuck. 

"I remember my oldest brother told me when you pick a team, that's your team, and you stay with it. So that's just always been the rule. I chose the Niners, and I am loyal," Durst explained. 

Trip to Levi's

Durst told KTVU that in addition to the ticket for the four members of the family, the team also provided one for Brydon’s coach. 

And it will mark a big first for the Dursts: their first trip outside of Ohio. 

The dad said that, luckily, he and his wife had been saving up money since last year, which will help them pay for the plane tickets and hotel without putting them in too much debt. 

And they planned to make the most out of the adventure to the Bay Area.

"The wife and I both took 4 days off of work so we can spend a couple extra days with the family and make a real vacation out it," the dad said, noting they’ll fly out two days before the game to give Brydon a chance to acclimate to the new environment.

No doubt the Dursts’ visit to Levi’s will be a core memory-making trip for the family, one that they’ll carry for years to come.

"We consider this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Durst shared.  

Last month, as he reflected on this exciting journey for him and his family, Durst took to social media, sharing what an unbelievable experience this has been.

"There are still moments where I stop and think about how crazy and special this whole thing is," he wrote. "From Ohio To California. From watching the Niners on TV To watching them together at Levi’s Stadium. The countdown is officially ON."

And he expressed his deep gratitude.

"Thank you to the 49ers organization," he said, "and the entire 49ers Faithful who have shown Brydon so much love."

This story was reported from Oakland, Calif. 

San Francisco 49ersOhioInstanewsSanta ClaraGood News