Last October, 94-year-old Utah Jazz fan Ruth Robinson, of Murray, suffered a stroke that put her in a hospital for a month, according to her daughter-in-law, Julie Robinson.

Against all odds, she recovered. Watching the Jazz on television helped.

"It gave her hope and a need to live," Julie Robinson wrote. "She had to see how far they'd go this season."

Ruth's problems were not over, however. After moving into a retirement center in February, she fell and broke her pelvis. She was again hospitalized and spent a month in a nursing home, where she watched Jazz games from her bed.

"I watch them every night," said Ruth, who declines to name a favorite player. "I have been following them for years. In the last little while, they have been a big part of my life."

- Tom Wharton