Something beautiful happened at Detroit Lions training camp on Monday night.

Nathan Burke met his hero.

“Can I give you a hug?” Nathan asked Barry Sanders in the Hall of Famer’s first appearance at the Allen Park facility since his recent health care.

Sanders laughed.

“Yes,” he replied.

So, Nathan gave him a big hug.

“Thank you,” Nathan said.

It’s almost impossible to capture everything inside that “thank you” – all the layers and profound meaning. But let’s start here: Nathan, 32, grew up with cerebral palsy. He was teased and treated like a freak. But Sanders gave him hope. Sanders gave him something powerful.

“He was my life when I didn't have one,” Nathan said. “I didn't have friends. People thought I was weird. They looked at me and all they saw was my disability.”

Sanders was more than his hero. He became his outlet. His escape. His alter ego.

“He ran the way I wished I could run,” Nathan said. “It got bad in high school, and I used to go home and watch his old videos to make myself feel better.”

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A few weeks ago, the Lions got word that Sanders was going to be at the Allen Park facility on Monday night.

Somebody knew somebody who knew somebody, who invited Nathan and his parents to the Lions practice and set up a meeting with Sanders.

But here’s the amazing part.

This wasn’t a simple meet and greet.

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Sanders spent 15 or 20 minutes with Nathan and his parents, as the Lions were busy on the field.

At first, they stood by some aluminum bleachers at one end of the field.

Sanders noticed Nathan hunched over forearm crutches.

“Come on – have a seat,” Sanders said.

So, they sat down and started to talk football.

“I love Brad,” Nathan said. “I love Dan."

At this point, yes, we all know he was talking about Brad Holmes, the Lions executive vice president and general manager, as well as Lions coach Dan Campbell.

“Absolutely!” Sanders said.

It was such a sweet conversation.

So genuine.

“Barry was incredible,” Tom Burke, Nathan’s father, said. “He was very kind and engaged. And him and Nathan traded a few stats, because Nathan's pretty good with stats.”

When the practice ended, former Lion Golden Tate stopped by; and Sanders and Tate posed for pictures with Nathan and his parents.

Nathan walked away beaming with joy after meeting Sanders. “It means everything” he said. “He’s been my hero since I was 5. It’s hard to put into words. It’s like I’m on another planet.”

More than anything, Nathan was happy just to thank him.

“He was just such a wonderful runner and a good human being," Nathan said. "I just never got to say goodbye to him, because he retired and nobody expected it. It was nice to see him, and he's doing good, he's healthy. He's recovered from his heart (issue). That's what matters to me.”

Ah yes, the health issue.

On June 21, Sanders revealed on social media that he had suffered a “health scare related to my heart.”

Nathan didn’t ask him about it.

Because it scared him so much.

“I thought I was gonna lose him,” Nathan said. “But he looked really good – he looks great.”

As Sanders met with Nathan, a Lions official stood nearby.

“Barry does a lot of things people don’t hear about,” the official said.

This is why it is so important for Sanders to be on great terms with the Lions, as well as Calvin Johnson.

They mean so much to so many.

For so many different reasons.

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When your hero is better in real life

After posing for pictures with Nathan and his family, Sanders walked across the field.

He stood in front of a microphone and did a group interview (we were not allowed to ask him about his current health condition).

“It's that time of year, football fans, Lions fans in particular, ready to go, so great to be here,” Sanders said.

As he talked, he started to sound like a coach, harping on the importance of the dog days of camp.

“These are the most important days,” he said. “Because they’re just the mundane days of summer camp. But you’re really taking strides on, literally, who you're going to be this season, how you're going to compete. So it's just, it's too important.”

“For Jahmyr Gibbs, what's the biggest key for him in order for him to take the second-year leap?” a reporter asked.

It was such an interesting question – getting Sanders' take on Gibbs.

“He can enjoy what he did last year, but now there's film on him," Sanders said. "It's not going to get any easier. So I think just understanding that, it's only going to be more challenging, more difficult. But I'm sure he's up for it."

Sanders talked about how much he respects this front office and this coaching staff, and how pleased he is that Calvin Johnson will be inducted into the Pride of the Lions – the highest honor from the team on Sept. 30 when the Lions play the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football.

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“I think it was essential,” said Sanders, who is also in the ring of honor. “I think it was something we all hoped for and glad to see the fences get mended. Time tends to do that in a lot of ways. So obviously, you never have to wonder what Calvin means to Lions fans and this organization.”

“It's only, only right, you know, for him to get that recognition. He deserved it," Sanders continued. "A lot of us felt like there was something missing."

Sanders finished and slipped away.

Like one of his runs in the Silverdome.

A short time later, I called Nathan and his parents, who were on their way home to Fenton.

“It was like a dream come true,” Eileen Burke, Nathan’s mother, said. “Nathan has idolized him for 30 years. This was a big deal, a really big deal. We know that Barry is shy and we really appreciate the effort. I think we'll remember it always.”

Nathan added something important.

“He's a great running back,” Nathan said, “but he's a better human.”

How freakin’ beautiful.

How unbelievably cool.

Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com or follow him @seideljeff.

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Next up: Chiefs

Matchup: Lions (12-5 in 2023) at Kansas City Chiefs (11-6 in 2023), exhibition.

Kickoff: 4 p.m., Saturday; GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Mo.

TV/radio: WJBK-TV (Fox 2 in Detroit); WXYT-FM (97.1).

Regular-season opener: Sept. 8 vs. Rams, Ford Field, NBC.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions fan shares cool moment with Barry Sanders after practice