The story of a 92-year-old fan meeting Trail Blazers player at game goes viral
For someone who attended a Portland Trail Blazers game for the first time ever two weeks ago, 92-year-old Newberg resident Merle Campbell is pretty well known.
Staff at the Marquis assisted living facility where she resides in Newberg not only arranged to take her to Portlands Nov. 5 contest versus Memphis, but put together a whirlwind social media campaign to help her meet her favorite player, point guard Damian Lillard. 
The #HelpMerleMeetLillard campaign not only caught the attention of the Blazers, leading to a courtside meeting before the game, but pictures and video of the encounter spread like wildfire across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and the story was picked up by a local television station and even ESPN.
That was a real thrill to see him, Campbell said of her magic moment. He was a real gentleman.
It all started with Marquis intern Morgan Crabtree, who learned that Campbell had been a Blazers fan since the early 1970s.
Part of an interns responsibility is to facilitate the New Chapters program, which aims to grant a wish of some sort, a la the Make-A-Wish Foundation, to residents at Marquis Companies facilities.
The program works in congress with Marquis Companies sister nonprofit, the Vital Life Foundation, and because Marquis Newberg had tickets to an upcoming game, taking Merle just seemed like a perfect fit.
Its our goal that we try to do one for everybody if we can, administrator Ian Strand said. It just comes from a staff member who gets to know a resident. Some are big. Some are small. Some are things like they want to have an anniversary dinner or go to a dance. Weve done some really cool big ones, like people have gone skydiving.
At first, Campbell politely declined the invitation to the game because she hasnt been able to attend an outing like that in some time and she didnt realize she would be able to comfortably use her wheelchair in the company skybox, but by the day before the game she changed her mind.
Strand said the idea to arrange a meeting with Lillard quickly popped up as a way to make the experience even more unique for Campbell, but by then the game was only a day away.
It kind of started as a joke, maybe hell see it or the Blazers PR will pick it up, Strand said. Then we told our marketing people at Vital Life and they were able to put together a campaign really quick. In less than 24 hours it picked up steam and the Blazers responded. They asked us about her and made it happen. Its really cool.
When the moment came to meet her favorite player, Lillard didnt disappoint, taking her hand and leaning in close to hear her soft voice.
I told him I prayed for him and he said, Good. I need all I can get, Campbell said. He was very much a gentleman.
The Blazers immediately released photos and video of the meeting through their social media accounts, which spread quickly across the Internet. The teams video post on Facebook currently boasts more than 7,700 likes.
KGW interviewed her and aired a segment that night and the meeting was included in ESPN Sportscenters game coverage as well, with numerous websites picking up the story the next day.
All the attention caught Campbell, a retired English professor at Umpqua Community College who moved to Newberg in 2004, a bit off guard, but it has been fun for her family to watch.
It all happened so fast, she said.
Campbells son, Mark, who attended the game along with her, even used it as the opening illustration in his sermon at Laurel Community Church near Hillsboro the following Sunday.
We have friends even in Germany who had seen it, Mark Campbell said. Its incredible.