Post by CW .org .info .net on Mar 28, 2023 12:11:56 GMT -6
Hulkamaniac Nurse Comes to Hogan's Aid
Fan Helped Nurse Hulk Hogan's Ailing Father Before Wrestler's Comeback
By Bryan Robinson
Out of the thousands of Hulk Hogan fans worldwide, Chris Sader may be the most loyal Hulkamaniac of all.
It's not because the 23-year-old Chicago resident's room and basement in his parents' house look like museum exhibits devoted to Hogan, full of autographed pictures, magazine covers, action figures, wrestling boots and other paraphernalia.
It is not because Sader has been a fan since the early 1980s when he was 3, before most of the world had heard of Hogan and before the first Wrestlemania was launched.
Sader is the ultimate Hulkamaniac because he did something most fans — and perhaps most of Hogan's friends — would not have done: he quit his job as a registered nurse to help care for his idol's ailing father, Peter Bollea, before he died.
"Chris Sader is one of the most loyal fans — one of the most loyal people — I've ever met," said Hogan. "He started chasing me around when he was 3 years old. … Then we became friends. He was with me when my father passed away. He was actually at his bedside when he breathed his last breath. He's become a good friend."
Hulkamania at First Sight
Sader's infatuation with "The Hulkster" began when he first saw him on television during a wrestling program. Hogan was wrestling for the now defunct, Minnesota-based American Wrestling Association after his first stint with the then World Wrestling Federation (now known as World Wrestling Entertainment).
Sader cannot be accused of jumping on Hogan's bandwagon because it had not been built yet. Hogan was not wearing red and yellow colors to the ring on a regular basis yet and was years away from becoming a mainstream media attraction as the face of the then-WWF. But young Sader saw something special in Hogan.
"I started watching him 19, 20 years ago, and there was just something about the way he was, the way he carried himself that really caught my eye," Sader said. "The wrestlers were in town for a show at the Rosemont Horizon and my mother learned where they were staying, and when I saw him, I just started crying."
Hogan gave Sader an autograph that day and from then on, every time Hogan was in town, his young fan would show up, cheering him on and seeking his signature on a piece of memorabilia. As years passed, Hogan saw Sader's familiar face every time he passed through the Chicago area and began to wonder what his fan was doing with all the things he signed for him.
"I told Hulk that I kept everything he signed, and he told me, 'There's no way you could have kept all the stuff I've signed for you over the years. One day I'm going to come by your house and see for myself.' Well, it took 12 years, but he did actually come."
The Chase Around Chicago
Ultimately, the two became friends, with Hogan, Sader said, first giving him his cell phone number six years ago. Friends of Sader did not believe he knew the wrestling legend — until he showed them his home and his estimated 90 to 100 photos of him with Hogan.
"They would tell me, 'OK you wish you knew Hulk Hogan," Sader said. "But then I would show them my room and basement and they would say, 'Wow! You do know Hulk Hogan.'"
That friendship helped Sader one time in 1997 when police pulled him over out of fear he was stalking Hogan.
"He was chasing me and Mr. T around Chicago," Hogan said with a slight chuckle. "And the cops arrested him, thought he was a stalker. They popped his trunk, and he had nothing but Hulk Hogan pictures and paraphernalia and jackets."
According to Sader, he had been unable to reach Hogan and he followed his limousine to the airport. However, at the time, Hogan was flying in his own private jet, and Sader somehow managed park right next to the plane. After realizing the situation, Sader said, Hogan managed to smooth things over with the police.
A Friend in Need …
Sader has visited Hogan at his home in Clearwater, Fla. But even Hogan did not realize what kind of fan — what kind of friend — he had in Sader until his father Bollea suffered a series of strokes last year. Sader, who was on his way to visit at the time, extended his stay to help Hogan and his family.
"I took off from work for three-to-four weeks just to be there for him and help him with whatever he needed," Sader said.
Sader then returned to Chicago and to work. However, when he learned that Bollea's condition was taking a turn for the worse, Sader asked his supervisor for time off and he refused.
"My boss wouldn't let me get the free time off. telling me, 'Listen, you just took three or four weeks off, I can't let you take more time,'" Sader said. "With that, I shook my boss' hand, and said, "I'm sorry, Hulk's my friend and he really needs my help.'"
Hogan took his father out of the hospital, and with Sader at his side, brought him back to his home in Tampa, Fla., where he died last December. Hogan said he will be forever grateful to Sader for what he did for him, even though Hogan never asked him to sacrifice his job.
Friends and family, Sader said, understood his reasons for helping Hogan. He was repaying his idol for his friendship.
"Sure, he's Hulk Hogan, a celebrity, but he's never acted that way with me," Sader said. "He's always been very down to earth. Even on bad days, when he's been really tired, he's always made time for me."
‘Sader-mania’ Runnin’ Wild
Sader is happy that Hogan has been able to return to wrestling with the WWE since his father's death. He says he and Hogan talk every week and Hogan makes the time to see him whenever he can. Hogan is writing his autobiography, and Sader says he is helping Hogan fact-check the book, which may be released later this year.
Sader has also found work since helping Hogan but in recent months he has had to take time off to care for his own father, who suffers from leukemia. No doubt, Sader will be trying to live by one of the credos the Hulk Hogan character has championed for more than 20 years: never give up.
However, Sader, the ultimate Hulkamaniac, may not realize that his loyalty has made a "Sader-maniac" out of Hogan.
"The only problem I have is that there's not a bunch of guys like Chris Sader," Hogan said. "I have these fans who send me pictures of their rooms filled with Hulkamania items, their curtains made out of Hulkamania T-shirts. There are several Chris Sader-type fans, and I try to relate to them, develop a rapport, and make time for them whenever I can. … But Chris Sader, he's the best."
Fan Helped Nurse Hulk Hogan's Ailing Father Before Wrestler's Comeback
By Bryan Robinson
Out of the thousands of Hulk Hogan fans worldwide, Chris Sader may be the most loyal Hulkamaniac of all.
It's not because the 23-year-old Chicago resident's room and basement in his parents' house look like museum exhibits devoted to Hogan, full of autographed pictures, magazine covers, action figures, wrestling boots and other paraphernalia.
It is not because Sader has been a fan since the early 1980s when he was 3, before most of the world had heard of Hogan and before the first Wrestlemania was launched.
Sader is the ultimate Hulkamaniac because he did something most fans — and perhaps most of Hogan's friends — would not have done: he quit his job as a registered nurse to help care for his idol's ailing father, Peter Bollea, before he died.
"Chris Sader is one of the most loyal fans — one of the most loyal people — I've ever met," said Hogan. "He started chasing me around when he was 3 years old. … Then we became friends. He was with me when my father passed away. He was actually at his bedside when he breathed his last breath. He's become a good friend."
Hulkamania at First Sight
Sader's infatuation with "The Hulkster" began when he first saw him on television during a wrestling program. Hogan was wrestling for the now defunct, Minnesota-based American Wrestling Association after his first stint with the then World Wrestling Federation (now known as World Wrestling Entertainment).
Sader cannot be accused of jumping on Hogan's bandwagon because it had not been built yet. Hogan was not wearing red and yellow colors to the ring on a regular basis yet and was years away from becoming a mainstream media attraction as the face of the then-WWF. But young Sader saw something special in Hogan.
"I started watching him 19, 20 years ago, and there was just something about the way he was, the way he carried himself that really caught my eye," Sader said. "The wrestlers were in town for a show at the Rosemont Horizon and my mother learned where they were staying, and when I saw him, I just started crying."
Hogan gave Sader an autograph that day and from then on, every time Hogan was in town, his young fan would show up, cheering him on and seeking his signature on a piece of memorabilia. As years passed, Hogan saw Sader's familiar face every time he passed through the Chicago area and began to wonder what his fan was doing with all the things he signed for him.
"I told Hulk that I kept everything he signed, and he told me, 'There's no way you could have kept all the stuff I've signed for you over the years. One day I'm going to come by your house and see for myself.' Well, it took 12 years, but he did actually come."
The Chase Around Chicago
Ultimately, the two became friends, with Hogan, Sader said, first giving him his cell phone number six years ago. Friends of Sader did not believe he knew the wrestling legend — until he showed them his home and his estimated 90 to 100 photos of him with Hogan.
"They would tell me, 'OK you wish you knew Hulk Hogan," Sader said. "But then I would show them my room and basement and they would say, 'Wow! You do know Hulk Hogan.'"
That friendship helped Sader one time in 1997 when police pulled him over out of fear he was stalking Hogan.
"He was chasing me and Mr. T around Chicago," Hogan said with a slight chuckle. "And the cops arrested him, thought he was a stalker. They popped his trunk, and he had nothing but Hulk Hogan pictures and paraphernalia and jackets."
According to Sader, he had been unable to reach Hogan and he followed his limousine to the airport. However, at the time, Hogan was flying in his own private jet, and Sader somehow managed park right next to the plane. After realizing the situation, Sader said, Hogan managed to smooth things over with the police.
A Friend in Need …
Sader has visited Hogan at his home in Clearwater, Fla. But even Hogan did not realize what kind of fan — what kind of friend — he had in Sader until his father Bollea suffered a series of strokes last year. Sader, who was on his way to visit at the time, extended his stay to help Hogan and his family.
"I took off from work for three-to-four weeks just to be there for him and help him with whatever he needed," Sader said.
Sader then returned to Chicago and to work. However, when he learned that Bollea's condition was taking a turn for the worse, Sader asked his supervisor for time off and he refused.
"My boss wouldn't let me get the free time off. telling me, 'Listen, you just took three or four weeks off, I can't let you take more time,'" Sader said. "With that, I shook my boss' hand, and said, "I'm sorry, Hulk's my friend and he really needs my help.'"
Hogan took his father out of the hospital, and with Sader at his side, brought him back to his home in Tampa, Fla., where he died last December. Hogan said he will be forever grateful to Sader for what he did for him, even though Hogan never asked him to sacrifice his job.
Friends and family, Sader said, understood his reasons for helping Hogan. He was repaying his idol for his friendship.
"Sure, he's Hulk Hogan, a celebrity, but he's never acted that way with me," Sader said. "He's always been very down to earth. Even on bad days, when he's been really tired, he's always made time for me."
‘Sader-mania’ Runnin’ Wild
Sader is happy that Hogan has been able to return to wrestling with the WWE since his father's death. He says he and Hogan talk every week and Hogan makes the time to see him whenever he can. Hogan is writing his autobiography, and Sader says he is helping Hogan fact-check the book, which may be released later this year.
Sader has also found work since helping Hogan but in recent months he has had to take time off to care for his own father, who suffers from leukemia. No doubt, Sader will be trying to live by one of the credos the Hulk Hogan character has championed for more than 20 years: never give up.
However, Sader, the ultimate Hulkamaniac, may not realize that his loyalty has made a "Sader-maniac" out of Hogan.
"The only problem I have is that there's not a bunch of guys like Chris Sader," Hogan said. "I have these fans who send me pictures of their rooms filled with Hulkamania items, their curtains made out of Hulkamania T-shirts. There are several Chris Sader-type fans, and I try to relate to them, develop a rapport, and make time for them whenever I can. … But Chris Sader, he's the best."