"Strongest man I know:" Bart & Cherry Starr make trip to Green Bay for Favre's Ring of Honor ceremony

GREEN BAY -- November 26th has been circled on Bart and Cherry Starr's calendar for quite awhile. It's the date Bart Starr has been working toward during his stroke rehabilitation.

"Really -- he's the strongest man I know," Cherry Starr said.

Bart Starr

Bart Starr is a legend. He led the Packers to five championships, and helped the team to win Super Bowl I and Super Bowl II. He is an MPV, and Pro Bowler and of course, a Hall of Famer.

Cherry Starr remembers it well -- and it all started in Green Bay.

"I think probably one of the greatest blessings that ever happened to us was to go to Green Bay, Wisconsin," Cherry Starr said.

On the flip side, one of the Starr family's biggest challenges is Bart's health. Last year, he suffered two strokes, a heart attack and multiple seizures.

Bart and Cherry Starr

"It's been a really tough, tough phase in our lives -- to see someone you love so much and admire so much, to see him not be the man he once was and you don't know if he'll ever be that man again and he's suffered a lot. There's a lot of things he went through during this last year that were not very pleasant -- but he's overcome every one of them and that's, you know, made my love even stronger for him to see how well he's fought this. He hasn't been defeated by anything," Cherry Starr said.

Bart Starr

After his stroke, Starr had two rounds of an experimental stem cell treatment and Cherry says it has made all the difference.

"There's no question in my mind. They've been huge -- huge. Just the fact that he had that tremendous setback and went to the hospital and it was so devastating to all of us, I think the stem cells played a big role in that it was an amazing recovery. I think the stem cells just made him so much stronger and I think they went to the places where they needed to go to heal him and I really think they were of great benefit to us and we're already seeing greater benefits now," Cherry Starr said.

Along the way to recovery, Cherry gave Bart a goal -- make it to Green Bay, and walk onto Lambeau Field for Brett Favre's Ring of Honor ceremony on Thanksgiving.

"That's given us a lot of motivation. We remind him of that every day that he has to get better so he can go to Green Bay for this game," Cherry Starr said.

Bart Starr

Also helping Starr are Green Bay Packers fans.

"We have had tremendous support from people all over the country and you know what? That has given us so much strength that we know they're there, that they send us their prayers and their best wishes. They call and send beautiful -- they send flowers and beautiful notes and it's just been so loving and so supportive and it's really meant a lot to his recovery and it's meant a lot to me in my care of him. It's really given me a lot of strength," Cherry Starr said.

"They've been extremely good. They're really nice nice people and I'm reaching a long way for this but I like to do that. It makes me feel good to say it that way," Bart Starr said.

Bart Starr

"They are the most supportive, loving fans in the entire world and they have remained that with us for 60 years. They love Bart and they never forgotten the things he did in Green Bay and what he's given back to Green Bay and actually the state of Wisconsin," Cherry Starr said.

Packers fans will have the chance to salute one of the game's oldest heroes one more time on Thursday night.

"It's wonderful, it truly is. I find it difficult to respond appropriately because I'm, I'm really touched by it," Bart Starr said.

Thanksgiving is bound to be touching for all at Lambeau Field.

Starr and his family arrived in Green Bay on Wednesday evening, November 25th. They're excited to partake in Thursday's activities.