Samson Herman, 13, Has Cerebral Palsy and Has Never Walked, but After His Viral Brewers Celebration Two Milwaukee Business Owners Sent Him and His Dad to the World Series

On the night of Oct. 15, inside Dodger Stadium, a father held his 13-year-old son upright so the boy could celebrate the Milwaukee Brewers’ first National League pennant in 44 years. Samson Herman has cerebral palsy, and his dad, Dave Herman, told FOX6 Milwaukee on live television, “He’s never walked, but he’s walking tonight.” The clip spread far beyond Wisconsin, and within a week two Milwaukee-area business owners had bought Samson and his father tickets to Game 2 of the World Series.

Thirteen days after that interview, the Brewers won their first championship.

The Interview at Dodger Stadium

Samson and his father traveled from the Minneapolis area to Los Angeles for Game 4 of the National League Championship Series, MLB.com reported. Milwaukee beat the Dodgers 6-4 that night to finish a four-game sweep.

After the final out, FOX6 reporter Ted Perry was talking to fans when a father asked him to speak with his son. Cameraman Jake Salzbrunn kept rolling as David Herman held Samson up and Perry put an arm around the boy to steady him. According to MLB.com, both Perry and Salzbrunn cried, and a Dodger Stadium usher and nearby fans handed them napkins. Perry, who did not realize the camera was still on, turned to wipe his eyes and told Samson he was his guy.

The family did not know the interview was going out live.

Samson told FOX6’s Maddie Stelk that watching the win brought “just emotion and sheer happiness,” the station reported. His father described the scene in the stands: people were crying, he said, and Samson started crying too. Dave Herman said he was “verklempt.” Samson said it was a night he would always remember, and that people from Wisconsin would too.

By Oct. 16, FOX6 said the clip had passed 539,000 views on TikTok.

Joshua Meyer and Santiago Speranza Step In

One of the people who saw it was the wife of Joshua Meyer, who runs M-L Meyer Construction and Roofing in the Milwaukee area. She teared up watching Samson on FOX6, and that pushed Meyer to act, FOX6 reported on Oct. 20.

Meyer and fellow business owner Santiago Speranza bought two tickets to World Series Game 2 for Samson and his dad. Meyer called the decision “a no-brainer.” Speranza said that when people give without expecting anything back, “the blessings are infinite.” Meyer’s company also announced it would give away two more Game 2 tickets on its Facebook page.

Neither family knew the other before the video. David Herman called the gesture unprecedented, saying it was remarkable that strangers could show that kind of kindness and generosity. Samson told FOX6 he was super happy for the experience, adding that he knew lots of people never get the chance. In a separate interview cited by Hoodline, he said he was “really happy and thankful” that the two men “had such kind hearts.”

The plan was for Samson and his father to meet Meyer and Speranza at a pregame tailgate before the game on Saturday, Oct. 24. That afternoon, Perry caught up with Samson again, in a FOX Local segment showing the teen heading into Game 2.

A Pitcher Who Had No Words

The video also reached the clubhouse. Samson has said his favorite players are pitcher Jacob Misiorowski and outfielder Jackson Chourio. At World Series Media Day, Perry asked Misiorowski about the clip and whether he thinks about his effect on young fans.

Misiorowski said he had seen it and was moved. “It’s honestly incredible just having that effect on people,” he said, according to MLB.com. Asked to say more, he added that he really did not have words for it. Perry said the pitcher looked choked up, which got to the reporter all over again.

Days later, Misiorowski took the ball in the game that ended the series.

The Title Samson’s Dad Wanted

On the night of the pennant, Dave Herman told FOX6 the family’s hope was simple: to see the Brewers win a World Series and bring it home to Milwaukee.

That happened on Wednesday, Oct. 28. Milwaukee beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 in Game 5 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, MLB.com reported, after the Rays had taken Game 4 in 12 innings. Misiorowski threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings, and catcher William Contreras was named World Series MVP. It was the franchise’s first World Series title and Milwaukee’s first baseball championship since the 1957 Braves.

Two days later, police estimated that more than 750,000 fans turned out for the championship parade and rally, which started at North 4th Street and Wisconsin Avenue and ended at the lakefront Henry Maier Festival Park, according to MLB.com. Milwaukee Public Schools closed for the day.

Cerebral Palsy and a Lifelong Fan

Cerebral palsy is a group of disorders that affect movement, balance and posture, and it is the most common motor disability in childhood, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC says it is caused by abnormal brain development or damage to the developing brain. Some people with mild cerebral palsy need no special help to walk, while people with more severe forms may need equipment or may not be able to walk at all.

Samson has been a Brewers fan his entire life, a loyalty passed down from his father. The moment his dad described, holding him up so he could stand with everyone else in the stands, is the one that reached strangers in Milwaukee and a starting pitcher in the Brewers’ rotation.

The story joins other recent accounts of people stepping in for someone they had never met, including a Boston school custodian who donated a kidney to a stranger so a teacher’s brother could get a transplant sooner.

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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.

Image: Michael Barera – CC BY-SA 4.0/Wikimedia Commons