Eleven-year-old Aiden Binkley was a Jets fan from the moment he was born.
And before he died, Aiden had a wish.
Mark Sanchez and the Jets made that wish come true.
Binkley, from Floral Park, L.I., was diagnosed at age 9 with rhabdomayosarcoma, an inoperable cancer. Through the work of the Theodore J. Atlas Foundation, a visit to the Jets’ practice facility in Florham Park, N.J., was set up for the Binkley family.
And that’s where a friendship began that lasted just two weeks — but will live forever.
“[Sanchez] meant a lot to him, he was so stoked to meet him,” said Mike Binkley, Aiden’s father.
The admiration clearly was mutual.
“He brought me so much inspiration,” Sanchez told 1050 ESPN radio. “I felt like I’ve known him forever. … I saw his personality. I saw his competitive spirit. I saw him fighting every day.”
Aiden had undergone more than a year of chemotherapy to battle a tumor that spread from his pelvis to his lungs. By December, it had become clear Aiden didn’t have much time left.
For Sanchez, mid-December was the low point of his season. The Jets were coming off their 45-3 fiasco in Foxborough, Mass., and a lifeless 10-6 loss to the Dolphins. The franchise QB nearly was pulled from Miami game.
On Tuesday, Dec. 15, the Binkley’s arrived at the Jets’ facility, and two lives were changed.
Teddy Atlas originally had contacted GM Mike Tannenbaum to make Aiden’s wish a reality. Atlas, a noted boxing trainer who used to work for the Jets as a special assistant under Eric Mangini, even called Rob Ryan, Rex’s brother, the defensive coordinator on the Browns under Mangini, to make sure Rex knew Aiden’s story and would give him special attention.
The Jets didn’t disappoint. After watching practice, Aiden and his family were brought up to owner Woody Johnson’s office, where they got to meet Antonio Cromartie, Dustin Keller, Mike DeVito and others.
And then Sanchez walked in.
“You want to talk about a kid lighting up,” Mike Binkley said of his son’s reaction .
“All I hear from someone is, ‘There’s a youngster who’s terminally ill with cancer and all he wants to do is meet you,’ ” Sanchez said. “It changes your whole world. It stops everything.”
Before they left, Sanchez gave Aiden his phone number and told him to text him. After a day of not hearing from Aiden, Sanchez texted him and they soon became even closer.
On Sunday, Dec. 19, before the game in Pittsburgh, Sanchez got a text in the locker room.
“He’s saying, ‘It looks cold out there in Pittsburgh. Good luck,’” Sanchez said.
Back in their Long Island home, the boy sat alongside his dad as the Jets, sparked by Sanchez’s strong performance, upset the Steelers, 22-17.
“He had a blanket over his head,” Mike Binkley recalled. “He said, ‘I can’t watch, I’m going to cry.’ ”
And less than an hour after the game, Aiden got a call from Sanchez.
“I said, ‘What’d he say? What’d he say?’ ” asked Mike.
“I want to keep that private,” Aiden told his stunned dad.
Two days after the game, Sanchez visited the Binkley’s home only to find Aiden was asleep. Sanchez waited until he woke and the new buddies hung out on the couch, talking football. Being friends.
On Christmas week, more than two dozen members of the Binkley family gathered to celebrate the holiday, when a special package landed at their door.
It was the game ball from the win in Pittsburgh along with a DVD of Rex Ryan telling Aiden how the team’s victory was dedicated to him.
Aiden died on Dec. 30.
His funeral was Tuesday, and that game ball was buried with him.
“My man Aiden,” said Sanchez, who volunteered to pay the costs of the funeral. “Breaks my heart.”