Submitted photo Brooke (Hansen) Mickelson, a 1999 Fort Dodge graduate, poses with an ‘Iowa Wave’ shirt.

IOWA CITY — Saturday’s football game between Iowa and Ohio State has taken on a different meaning for 1999 Fort Dodge Senior High graduate Brooke (Hansen) Mickelson.

Mickelson, along with friends Meighan Phillips and Lori Willis, are the driving force behind the “Iowa Wave” shirts that many Hawkeye fans inside Kinnick Stadium will be wearing for the ‘Blackout’ game against the third-ranked Buckeyes.

In September, Iowa fans made headlines when they began waving after the first quarter to the kids at the nearby University of Iowa Children’s Hospital, who have a picture-perfect view inside the stadium on the top floor. The movement was featured on ESPN, and led to a powerful idea by the three families.

A 1999 FDSH graduate and former Miss Iowa USA, Mickelson and her husband John, a former Hawkeye football player, will be in attendance for the Big Ten showdown.

“It’s almost like Iowa City has taken on a completely other life,” said Mickelson, a U of I graduate. “We had a phenomenal tour with the doctors at the hospital (on Friday), and just could not have asked for a better day. The hospital has been so outstanding and welcoming.

“It’s funny to think about what Iowa City was like when I was in high school and even when I went to college here. This is where I became Miss Iowa, but it has a taken on a completely different life now for all of us.”

The group has sold over 15,000 shirts and raised more than $300,000 for the hospital. Those numbers far exceeded what originally was planned.

“Our initial shirt run was 300,” Mickelson said. “We launched at 10:30 p.m. on a Sunday night and increased to 600 (shirts) within the first six hours.

“We woke up the next day and increased to 6,000 and switched shipping companies to make sure they would be delivered by Nov. 4.

“To sell 15,000 shirts is mind-blowing and outstanding. It shows how super supportive Iowans are.”

Mickelson’s family has a strong connection with the Children’s Hospital. Her son, Hunter, was treated for over two weeks in 2015 due to a life-threatening kidney-related issue. He is still seen on a monthly basis by doctors in Iowa City.

“(Saturday) is going to be super, super emotional. That’s an understatement,” Mickelson said. “Being able to raise funds for what this hospital does is incredible.

“This isn’t just one effort that the six of us did. We’ve done interviews and people have called us heroes. We are not heroes. The kids are the heroes. They are the fighters, like my son Hunter, who fights every day and keeps going.”

Shirts can be purchased at Hy-Vee stores in both adult and youth sizes.

Mickelson currently lives in West Des Moines with her family.