MedStar Health and The Baltimore Ravens Treat Kids to the Ultimate Fan Experience at Ravens Training Camp

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — A huge win for football’s youngest fans as five MedStar Health pediatric patients and their families spent the day cheering on their favorite players at Baltimore Ravens Training Camp. MedStar Health brought the families to camp for an all-access fan experience.

The kids, ranging in age from 5 to 11, are fighting different pediatric disorders. They spent the day away from medical appointments enjoying meet-and-greets with Ravens players and staff, getting autographs and scoring high fives and hugs.

Sunny Thornton is a five-year-old girl who was diagnosed with leukemia in 2025. She is also a lover of sparkly shoes and has an infectious smile. Limited by needing to be on continuous chemotherapy, Sunny first attended Ravens Training Camp in 2025 where she connected with her favorite player Zay Flowers. They reunited one year later as both prepare to tackle challenges of different kinds in the months ahead.

“A day like today makes a world of a difference because it’s so important to have that community support knowing that you’re not fighting alone and that you have people rooting for you and there for you in your corner,” shared Sunny’s mom Katie Smith. “The Ravens and their partnership with MedStar Health really means a lot to us, to be able to bring us out to these events and let Sunny just be a kid and let us be a family.”

Sunny brought a special Ravens-themed tackle box for Flowers. It was decorated, and filled, with some of his favorite things that he might find helpful for the football season. She says Flowers gives good hugs! Since their initial meeting, Flowers has referred to Sunny as his good luck charm, even wearing the hoodie she designed for him for the Crucial Catch game during every warmup.

Ryan Conrad joined his son Daniel for the football festivities. Daniel was just four weeks old when he was diagnosed with the chronic health issue Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency. He underwent a liver transplant when he was three years old.

“MedStar Health was able to give us the confidence that, even going through his transplant, we could get through and we'd come out better on the other side,” said Conrad. “Coming out on a beautiful day in Maryland in the summer, getting to see these top-notch athletes, getting some autographs and things like that for my kids, my older son who's healthy and my younger son, Daniel, who also is very healthy now, is fantastic.”

Due to the level of care each child needs, this day was only made possible thanks to the support of their care teams. Considering a child’s social and emotional wellbeing, as well as their physical healing, is part of what makes programs like these so important.   

“These events are really important for our patients and families,” explained Katie Wallace, child life supervisor with MedStar Health. “They go through so much with their chronic illnesses, whether that be transplant or hematology disorders or an oncology diagnosis. Being able to bring them out when they're well enough to do fun things and feel special and just participate in Ravens Training Camp has been an awesome thing to watch.”

MedStar Health has been the trusted medical team for the Baltimore Ravens since 2004. Learn more about the partnership here.

Download video of MedStar Health patients at Ravens Training Camp.