Imagine the pride of the mother, whose son is standing on the verge of representing the country on the grandest stage of them all. Naturally, Penn State star Aaron Brooks’ mother is thrilled and can’t wait to see how her child handles the responsibility. While Brooks enjoys a sort of celebrity status in the country’s collegiate wrestling scene, thanks to his four NCAA gold medals, he is about to embark on a quest that’s unlike anything he’s experienced before.

The ex-NLWC wrestler secured his spot in Team USA after defeating another iconic Penn State alum, David Taylor, in April’s Olympic Team Trials. With that, Ranelle scurried to do whatever it took to make sure she could be present in the stands when her kid locked horns with the likes of Hassan Yazdani in the French capital. But even Ranelle Boyd wasn’t prepared for how the love for her son would pour into her life as well.

Aaron Brooks’s fans delight the wrestler’s mom

As a way to secure the funds for Boyd to visit the City of Love, she started a GoFundMe page, urging wrestling fans to help a mother cheer for her son at the biggest tournament of his life. “This is a rare opportunity to have my son reach the Olympics, and I want to be there to watch him bring home the Gold!” wrote Ranelle in the caption of the fundraiser plea. “I am raising funds for airfare, lodging, meals, and incidentals. If you are able to donate please know that I love, and appreciate you,” she wrote further, thanking fans in advance for whatever they could contribute.

Unsurprisingly, her heartfelt request didn’t go in vain. While Ranelle set a goal of $5,560, it can be seen on the page that she has collected almost $6,000 from the fans. “I feel very blessed for this opportunity, and very humbled by this experience to be able to come to family, and friends to raise the means to be able to make this trip.” Many would consider writing something like this for a fundraiser even before achieving the goal to be naive, but as Aaron Brooks’ mom has proven, nothing’s impossible if your grit and resilience are proven beyond reproach.

But this isn’t to say Boyd doesn’t harbor the same kind of fears and anxiety about his son’s profession as all the mothers out there.

A mother can’t not feel the pressure

In an interview with NBC Washington, Ranelle talked about how her blood pressure always shoots up whenever Aaron Brooks takes to the mat for a match. There, she also remembered how she felt watching her wrestle for the first time. “I didn’t know he was winning because I didn’t understand the points, so I’m crying because I just see his opponent being really physical with him,” confessed Boyd with a sort of embarrassment on her face. But just how far Aaron has come from his days at North High will be something that his mother finds pride in. “I never would’ve imagined that I, Ranelle Boyd, would have an Olympian,” said Boyd in the interview, noting how Brooks is still her “baby” boy.

“I’m going to be proud going there, proud leaving, no matter the outcome. He has come so far,” she said unflinchingly as she hinted at where Aaron might get his unwavering fighting mentality from. Now, with Aaron’s newest venture just moments away from being kicked off, let’s see if Boyd’s love and support for her son gives the wrestler any additional thrust in the engines to bring him the coveted prize on the banks of the Seine. A culmination of decades of hard work, dedication, and sacrifice awaits!