LAPORTE — Bill Fanning is a lifelong fan of the lovable losers. He grew up in the Chicago suburbs and even lived near the field of the rival White Sox before moving to LaPorte Hospital to treat his multiple sclerosis.

A few weeks ago, Bill got the surprise of his life when he found out he was heading back to Wrigley for the first time in 35 years!

Fanning may not be able to move much, but he can still talk some trash.

"It's just one of those things. You're either a Sox fan or you're a Cubs fan. So I took the better of the two," exclaimed Fanning to WSBT Sports.

When Bill mentioned his affection to the staff of LaPorte Hospital, they took action.

"I'm a Pirates fan [...] so every time I take care of Bill we kind of hassle each other back and forth. He had mentioned to me one day that he would like to see a Cubs game before he died, and that kind of got the wheels started into motion," said Andrea Perry from LaPorte Hospital.

"I said let me see what I can do about it, and within the next ten minutes I had made some phone calls and by the weekend I had already received more calls back concerning Bill's trip," said the hospital's activities coordinator Cathy Albrecht.

The game marked the first time Fanning had left LaPorte Hospital's walls in an entire year.

"I said to my son, 'You know I'd like to go to see the Cubs in the World Series before I die,'" Fanning explained. "Next thing they come up with this 'You're going to the baseball game.' Now wait a second am I dying or what?! You're getting awfully pushy ya' know!"

"We've all appreciated Bill so much and to see him have a little bit of simple pleasure has made us all feel much better for it," said Albrecht.

"Actually going up there, he just absolutely made the connection with the field and he loved it," Perry said. "It brought back a lot of old memories for him."

The Cubbies beat the Diamondbacks 3-1.

It wasn't the Cubs greatest win -- but it was to Fanning.

"They give you something to laugh about, something to yell about, something to cry about. They give you enjoyment," he said. "Everybody's got problems. This way, they make life a little bit easier for you."