It was a rough year for 11-year-old Audrey Soape.

In March, her father died in a tragic accident. Five weeks later, her grandfather passed away from lung cancer.

The double heartbreak left the young Texan without anyone to take her to her church’s father-daughter dance, a yearly highlight.

Audrey’s mother, Holly, was desperate to figure out a solution; she tried a Hail Mary, reaching out to the family’s favorite NFL player, Philadelphia Eagle Anthony Harris, via social media. (The Soapes were originally from Minnesota, where Harris played with the Vikings for years. They continued to support him when he signed with the Eagles, because he seemed “really down to earth” and was cordial when they commented on his social media posts.)

The Washington Post reports:

“I knew it was far-fetched and I didn’t know what I was expecting,” Soape said. “But I figured at least I would try.”

“Hey, this is kind of a crazy big ask, and please feel free to say no, but there’s this dance at the end of January,” Soape wrote to the NFL player, explaining her daughter’s predicament. “Is there any way you would consider doing this?”

To her surprise, Harris said he was open to the idea as long as the Eagles didn’t advance in the playoffs, which would make him unavailable.

When his team was eliminated from postseason contention, Harris said he’d happily fly to Texas to take Audrey to the dance. He insisted on buying her a new dress and new shoes and treated Audrey to professional hairstyling and makeup.

“I wanted to try to make it a very unique experience,” Harris told The Post. “I wanted her to feel like a princess.”

“He spared no expense whatsoever, and he just wanted to make sure that she felt special and cared about,” Holly added.

(Watch an interview with Harris and the Soapes above.)

When Harris arrived in Texas and picked up his date, he “did everything possible to make Audrey feel comfortable around him, by chatting with her and trying to relate to her as best he could,” The Post writes, adding:

Before long, “it didn’t feel like I was with someone that was in the NFL,” Audrey said. “It felt like I was with a normal person that was my friend.”

The duo danced and laughed for several hours that night, and they also participated in a scavenger hunt.

“We had fun. That was what it was all about,” Harris said.

Harris told NBC’s Philadelphia affiliate he was “just trying to be a human … Trying to take off the helmet, trying to take off the cape of what I do professionally and just show some sympathy for that family and try to show some support there.”

“You gotta cherish these moments. You never know how long we have here on this Earth,” Harris added. “So, the people that you care about and you love, show support for them.”