When defensive end Vinny Curry arrived at the NovaCare Complex on Saturday, April 28, it was a day that the lifelong Eagles fan from Neptune, N.J. will never forget.

Curry got to meet Brian Dawkins on the day the Eagles announced they were retiring his number. He met a number of Eagles whom he grew up rooting for. And when Curry came in touch with Michael Vick, the quarterback told the newly minted Eagle that he was no longer a fan, but a teammate.

It was no surprise that Curry's legal guardian, his aunt Ginger Massey, said that she hasn't seen Curry smile like that in a long time.

Today is Mother's Day. It is Curry's first Mother's Day without his biological mother, Linda Jackson, who passed away last October after a bout of liver cancer.

"I'll say a good prayer and come out here and compete," Curry said of his Mother's Day plans on Saturday.

Curry said that he's been blessed to have his aunt, who has been a pivotal figure in his life since he was in middle school. He did not say what he was buying for his aunt having just signed his rookie contract.

This first weekend is said to be a stressful one, but nothing compares to what Curry went through his senior season at Marshall as his mom was battling cancer. It was an especially emotional time when Senior Day approached. Curry had arranged for his mother to travel and have everything she needed. However, she wouldn't make it.

"Now she's not going to be here and it's eating me up," he told the Charleston Daily Mail back in November.

Curry persevered last year and won the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year honors. In the last month, Curry saw his dreams of playing in the NFL realized and will have the opportunity to fulfill them on his hometown team. Curry's mom might not be here, but he knows she is looking down on him and that he has the support of family members like his aunt.

"It's good to have family," he said.

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