LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson huddled his team up Monday morning following its first practice in pads, but he wanted someone else to break it.

He introduced the Bears to Liam Woodworth, a 13-year-old from Schneider, Indiana, who has been through a lot.

Three open-heart surgeries. Five operations in total, all when he was very young. The boy doesn’t let congenital heart disease hold him back. He was born with a single ventricle instead of two, but that fact doesn’t define him. Liam doesn’t let that stop him from enjoying life.

Johnson told Liam’s story to the players, who clearly were inspired by what they heard. They wanted to give Liam his moment. Quarterback Caleb Williams provided some instructions on what Liam should do next.

Liam then walked to the center of the circle, put his hand up high and said, “Family on three. 1. 2. 3. Family.”

The whole team joined him for the last part. Then the huddle broke.

Liam was overwhelmed by it all, but Williams helped him out. He gave Liam a No. 18 jersey and invited him to hang out for a while. The Bears made sure Liam had a helmet covered in autographs.

It marked the end of a long morning that surely will remain a core memory. The day started before dawn in Schneider, a town of 300 roughly 90 miles from Halas Hall.

A two-car caravan brought Liam, his parents, siblings and some friends to the Bears’ training facility for the royal treatment. General manager Ryan Poles spent some time with the boy and had him sign a one-day contract with the Bears. Play-by-play announcers Jeff Joniak and Tom Thayer conducted a Q&A. Then Staley, the Bears’ mascot, presented the Woodworth family with tickets to the Week 3 clash with the Dallas Cowboys at Solider Field.

Liam then went on the field, and Johnson had him break the huddle.

“It’s crazy,” Liam said. “… It’s just so much to take in. It is really cool.”

The visit lifted spirits after the Woodworths received some disappointing news. Liam has a checkup every six months, and a recent one involved a two-hour MRI of his heart that revealed the organ isn’t functioning as well as before.

His caregivers recommended some new medications to help turn things around. The news wasn’t great, but Advocate Health Care brought the Woodworths back up a little bit with this VIP trip to Bears practice.

It worked, as the entire family had a great time at Halas Hall watching the team’s first padded practice.

Liam was wowed like any other 13-year boy would be during a day like this. That’s something his parents have emphasized Liam’s entire life. Yes, Liam must deal with some health-related issues other kids don’t. But they don’t want him feeling different that anyone else.

“We didn’t want him to be held back by it,” Liam’s mother, Amanda, said. “That’s why, if you want to play baseball, play baseball. I played flag football, you know, just try to do everything that all his friends do.”

Tackle football, or heavy contact sports, are a rare thing prohibited by Liam’s condition, but his parents let him play flag football. He was a center on the team, but he had the chance to play one snap at quarterback. He sneaked the ball in for a touchdown.

Liam’s face lit up at that memory. His mother hopes Monday’s experience will remain in a similar fashion for a boy who has been through a lot but never lets that weigh him down.

“I just hope that they remember the time they got to come see the Bears this close up,” Amanda said. “Yeah, it’s really exciting.”