Goose Flights and Titan Aviation Group to provide jet-charter experience for 23-year-old Cayden Winstead, who will attend Super Bowl on 1-year anniversary of suffering a severe brain injury
(Louisville, KY, Jan. 18, 2023) – Today, Goose Flights, a fund in honor of the life and memory of late NFL great Tony “Goose” Siragusa, surprised Cayden Winstead, a 23-year-old patient from Louisville recovering from life-threatening injuries, with a once-in-a-lifetime, jet charter flight and full-access trip to Super Bowl LVII with his family. The Super Bowl at State Farm Stadium, in Glendale, Arizona, will take place on Feb. 12, 2023, exactly one year after Winstead suffered a severe brain injury.
During Wednesday’s surprise meeting at Kindred Hospital Louisville at Jewish Hospital, where much of Winstead’s recovery took place, Siragusa’s children, Samantha, Anthony and Ava, presented Winstead and his parents with the good news, along with a framed Siragusa No. 98 jersey.
Goose Flights was the vision of Siragusa just prior to his unexpected passing in 2022, and his children, along with his wife, Kathy Siragusa, are carrying out his dreams by operating the nonprofit foundation. The goal of Goose Flights and the Siragusa family is to give back and provide children and young adults battling an illness with a jet-charter experience that will remind them to never stop dreaming big.
“Our dad had a bigger than life personality, attacking football and life with his big heart and the belief that anything is possible. Throughout his career in the NFL, he had to overcome great adversity to reach high levels of success, and although the journey wasn’t easy, he never failed to continue dreaming big. Cayden’s story truly inspired us, and we believe that he truly embodies our father’s spirit,” Samantha Siragusa said. “None of this would have been possible without my dad’s dream for Goose Flights, Titan Aviation Group and Cayden’s recovery at Kindred; and we are honored to be here today.”
Winstead, a Louisville resident and alumnus of Evangel Christian High School, had a tragic accident on Feb. 12, 2022, that led to severe brain damage and his reliance on life support. While still making impressive strides in regaining his full abilities, Cayden underwent a significant portion of his treatment and recovery, including the weaning from a ventilator, at Kindred Hospital Louisville at Jewish Hospital.
“The entire Kindred team is proud of Cayden’s tremendous recovery, and we are all inspired by his positive spirit, his kindness for all around him, and his commitment to his own healing and recovery. He is one of those people that make you smile every time you see them,” said Vara Dyer, CEO of Kindred Hospital Louisville at Jewish Hospital. “We thank Goose Flights for this once-in-a-lifetime experience, and to provide Cayden and his family the opportunity to reflect on how very far he has come in his journey on the first anniversary of his accident.”
“From initially being told we should place Cayden in palliative care, to having him go to Kindred, where we could rejoice and regain hope as we watched our son surpass milestone after milestone with all of his therapists and nurses, we feel honored by today’s gift from Goose Flights,” said Leslee Winstead, Cayden’s mom. “Words cannot express our gratitude to Goose Flights and the Siragusa family for giving Cayden this Super Bowl experience and to remind him, and other patients, that anything is possible.”
As part of the experience gifted by Goose Flights, Cayden Winstead and his parents will travel to Arizona on a private charter jet and have front-row access to all that the Super Bowl and the days of festivities leading up to the game have to offer. In addition to Goose Flights and Titan Aviation Group, the experience is supported by the NFL Alumni association and FOX Sports.
Tony Siragusa was a defensive tackle who played 12 seasons in the NFL (1990-2001) as part of the Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens. He was a member of the Ravens’ team that won Super Bowl XXXV in January 2001. Siragusa later worked as an NFL analyst for Fox.
A 2022 video about Winstead’s story can be found on Kindred Hospitals’ YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quo0lSTyE8Q
About Goose Flights:
Goose Flights, a 501 (c)(3) organization, was the vision Tony “Goose” Siragusa had just months before his passing in 2022, and, like everything Tony did in his 55 years, his vision was BIG. Tony was always passionate about giving back. His mission was to provide children and young adults battling an illness with a jet charter experience that would remind them to never stop dreaming BIG.
While Tony himself was not able to carry out his vision, his three children, Samantha, Anthony, and Ava, along with his wife, Kathy Siragusa, are making sure his dream becomes a reality. In 2022, they founded Goose Flights to honor their father/husband’s legacy. They hope to spread light throughout the world, like Tony always did, one jet charter at a time. To learn more, please visit https://gooseflights.org/.
About Kindred Hospitals
For decades, Kindred Hospitals has been an industry leader in delivering outstanding care to some of the nation’s most medically complex patients. Driven by a team of expert caregivers, Kindred’s national network of 61 long-term acute care (LTAC) hospitals is dedicated to helping seriously ill and injured patients heal, recover and regain independence in their daily lives while also providing a personal experience in our facilities that exceeds the expectations of patients and their loved ones.
Kindred Hospitals is a part of ScionHealth, a healthcare company that launched in 2021 and that is focused on driving innovation, serving its communities, and investing in people and technology to deliver compassionate patient care and excellent health outcomes. Based in Louisville, Kentucky, ScionHealth operates 79 hospital campuses in 25 states.
Media Contacts:
Susan Feeney
DVP, Communications and Public Policy
ScionHealth
susan.feeney@scionhealth.com