Jake Burns, a 13-year-old member of the Blackfeet Nation of Montana, lost his father before they had a chance to go to a Denver Broncos game.

"He was completely heartbroken," Lona Burns, the boy's mother, told The Great Falls Tribune. "His world was turned upside down. He was really shaken."

But a chance encounter lifted the teen's spirits. On a trip to Denver, Burns met former Broncos quarterback John Elway and attended a game in the player's luxury box.

"Jake came back a changed boy," his mother told ESPN writer Rick Reilly, whose wife is Blackfeet and is related to Jake, for a recent column.

Jake's father, Bob Burns, died last March. As was his wish, he was buried in Elway's jersey.

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Football great Elway helps heal Browning teen (The Great Falls Tribune 3/3)