Area Bengals fan battling ALS, daughter making memories together as team makes playoff push

DAYTON — UPDATE:

Following the Bengals’ win against the Raiders, a GoFundMe has been started to help raise money to try and get Paul and Sarah Miracle to Cincinnati’s divisional matchup against the Tennessee Titans. Donations can be made here.

All extra money raised will be donated to a charity benefitting ALS.

Thanks to donations Paul and Sarah were able to make it to the playoff game in Tennesse!

INITAL REPORT:

Two local Bengals fans can’t wait to see the team take the field at Paul Brown Stadium for Saturday’s playoff game.

>>PHOTOS: Area Bengals fan battling ALS, daughter ready for team’s playoff push

Sarah and Paul Miracle have a special connection that started with them watching Bengals games.

>>ODH urges caution, recommends masking for Bengals fans heading to Saturday’s game

Sarah grew up with her father Paul watching the Bengals on TV. She remembers sitting in his lap as he yelled at the TV. This helped her become a Bengals fan at such a young age.

>>Who Dey! Share your Bengals memories here as team enters playoffs

She says that Paul was active his whole life until he became terminally ill. In December 2019 Paul was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, a progressive neurological disease that affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.

ExpandAutoplay

Image 1 of 14

Sarah and Paul Miracle Contributed Photo/Sarah Miracle

>>Excitement builds for Bengals fans in the Miami Valley ahead of team’s return to playoffs

That diagnosis made it difficult for him to simply jump in his car to go see the Bengals play in person.

>>PHOTOS: Cincinnati Bengals uniforms through the years

This year they decided they wanted to make more memories so the pair bought season tickets. Sarah is a registered nurse so she felt confident about being able to travel and care for him for all nine home games.

Now the father-daughter duo have tickets to the Bengals playoff game Saturday against the Raiders. It’s the team’s first playoff game since January 9, 2016.

Sarah says she’s forever grateful for the special moments with her father Paul, it’s something she’ll always cherish.

She’s even carrying on the tradition with her 2-year-old son. He watches the games from and home and even says “Go Bengals” and “Who-Dey” when he watches.

The Bengals and Raiders play Saturday at 4:30pm in Cincinnati.

©2022 Cox Media Group