The Large Life Of Chicago Bears’ Israel Idonije

June 28, 2010   ·   Seth Boster   ·   Jump to comments

In Israel Idonije's five seasons with the Chicago Bears, his impact on the field has been small. But off the field, the defensive lineman's influence is bigger than any tackle he could make on 4th and goal.
"Izzy" returned to his birth-land in Nigeria for the third straight summer this NFL offseason. While some of his teammates may enjoy luxurious excursions, Idonije puts himself in places to change lives. Typically, those places are far from luxurious.
Recently, Idonije's mission landed him in a Lagos waiting room with an infant boy. A bacteria infection was killing the child on his tenth day of life.
"The boy's eyes had rolled into the back of his head," Idonije described to chicagobears.com.
The doctors and nurses that Idonije brought with him on the trip were able to treat the baby on to his survival.
"It puts perspective on why you're there," Idonije told chicagobears.com. "If you can just change one life, it makes it all worth it."
In an effort ...

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