And he recently learned that the 39-year-old Broncos quarterback is a fan of his.
Born in Cortez in 2008, Ayden and his mother, Rebecca, moved to Firestone in 2013 for her work and to be closer to the children’s hospital where Ayden receives treatment for cerebral palsy.
Ayden currently uses a walker and wears braces on his feet as he learns to walk on his own, but it hasn’t hindered his dream of playing football for his favorite team, the Denver Broncos.
He recently asked his mother to write a letter to Peyton Manning to tell the five-time NFL MVP about him and his goal of playing for the Broncos.
“We never expected to get anything from Peyton,” Baker explained in an e-mail. “But we did.”
To the Bakers’ surprise, Manning replied to the letter with an autographed photo and a message to Ayden.
“To Ayden,” Manning wrote. “Keep reaching for your goals and dreams! I am pulling for you! Your friend, Peyton Manning #18.”
“He had me read it to him over and over and over,” Baker told Denver’s 9 News. “He just sat there and stared at it. And he just said that’s his new friend, Peyton.”
Baker said that the letter not only brightened up Ayden’s life, but that it also made him even more motivated to walk on his own.
