At the age of 10, Kale Corbett was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and was given a slim 15% chance of survival. A bone marrow transplant from a rare match saved his life. His parents, Tim and Brandy, and his sister Katy were by his side through the entire journey.
He quit playing football and other sports on doctors’ orders and made a quick pivot to tackling his disease off the field. During Kale’s incredible journey, he discovered his life’s dream of giving back through his future career plan to become a pediatric oncology nurse.
Dr Pepper Tuition Giveaway and Dude Perfect
Kale’s dream got a big boost recently when he applied for and won a $50,000 scholarship from Dr Pepper.
The Texas-based soft drink company has given over $10 million in scholarship tuition to date. Now in its twelfth year, Dr Pepper is awarding a historic $2 million in tuition.
Kale decided to apply. With help from his sister, he summed up his story in a 57-second video they shot on his cellphone and submitted it to Dr Pepper. It was one of more than 93,000 entries, and Kale knew it was a long shot.
Along with head-to-head throw competitions with the finalists, Dr Pepper teamed up with Dude Perfect’s Brian Bosworth – The Sheriff of Dr Pepper Fansville, Kane Brown, Justin Guarini as “Lil’ Sweet,” and The Dallas Cowboys through social media and Scholarship America. Finalists completed a throw competition for a shot at $125,000 in tuition dollars in mid-November at the Dude Perfect headquarters. Those will be aired during the December 19 ACC, BIG12, and SEC Championship games.
There were also Virtual Giveaways in 2020, and that’s where Kale’s story comes in.
On December 12, Kale joined a video chat, thinking he was about to play in a trivia contest as part of the competition. The NFL Hall of Famer surprised him, telling him and his family he had already won the $50,000 tuition giveaway.
“In the Dr Pepper Tuition Giveaway, they’d never had a submission quite like Kale’s,” stated Bosworth on social media.
Be The Match
No sooner had Kale been told he won the $50,000 scholarship before he was given an even bigger surprise – the chance to meet his bone marrow transplant donor from nearly 10 years ago. He knew the donor’s name but had never met her.
Bosworth informed Kale in the video chat they were able to locate Barbara, Kale’s donor. She popped up on screen, much to Kale’s surprise. For the first time, Barbara and Kale saw each other, with each recognizing the impact of that decision many years ago.
“I’ve got one more surprise for you,” said Bosworth in the video call.
In the Dr Pepper Tuition Giveaway, they’d never had a submission quite like Kale’s. Watch to hear his story, from beating leukemia at a young age to winning the 2020 Tuition Giveaway. Congrats, Kale!
Learn more about the #DrPepperTuitionGiveaway at https://t.co/w1cj6mVo8r pic.twitter.com/OLbGtFYJOZ
— Brian Bosworth (@GotBoz44) December 12, 2020
Bosworth announced to the surprise of all present on the video chat, that Barbara’s two children would also be receiving $50,000 in tuition money to pursue an education. While Barbara was reduced to tears, Kale spoke up, as it was his original idea to share any funds awarded with Barabara.
“It doesn’t even begin to amount to what you’ve done for me, though,” added Kale. “Thank you so much for everything you’ve done.”
The Dr Pepper Tuition Giveaway is part of an official sponsorship of the College Football Playoff and Presenting Sponsorship of the National Championship Trophy. The company says its giveaway validates Dr Pepper’s longstanding commitment to education by giving students a chance to make their academic dreams a reality.
