This man's New Hampshire home was destroyed in a fire, but a Philadelphia Eagles flag survived
The Philadelphia Eagles' resounding Super Bowl win punctuated a redemption story following their loss to the Kansas City Chiefs two years ago.
It also offered hope and served as a distraction for many dealing with life's challenges.
Early Sunday morning, a fire in Gorham, New Hampshire, destroyed Don and Maria Bigler's Victorian home they bought last August. They were at their lake house about an hour away and when they arrived just before 6 a.m., all they could do was watch their home burn as firefighters battled the flames.
"Thank God nobody was injured," Don Bigler said. "All the family, all the pets, everyone got out safely and that's what's important, and you can always replace material goods. I said the one thing I'd like to get is that flag over there, which is an Eagles flag."
Don Bigler grew up in the Philly suburbs and is a diehard four-for-four Philly sports fan. After 40 years in the Delaware Valley, he moved to New Hampshire 20 years ago, but he took the Philly and his love for his teams with him, so when a firefighter asked him if he wanted his Eagles flag, he didn't hesitate.
"I said, 'Yeah, that would be great. We got a game tonight. I know my house is burning, but I gotta make sure the Eagles win tonight and I want that flag,'" he said.
With his flag in hand and Super Bowl LIX still hours away, Don Bigler decided to focus on the positive in an otherwise bleak situation.
Of course, we know how the Birds performed on the biggest stage of them all.
"At some point, I just told my wife, 'Let's forget about this. We got a game tonight,'" Bigler said. "We went back to our camp, had some friends over, watched the game and obviously that made losing my house a lot more tolerable."
And it's all rooted in his love for this city and this team.
"That city is the greatest city in the world to me, and that football team is the greatest team," he said.
