GREEN BAY - When Corey Linsley bought 10-year-old Travis Kohlbeck a bike during Packers training camp, neither of them could have guessed the journey it would take them on in the five years since.

The Green Bay Packers center was a rookie in 2014 when he randomly chose Travis to be his bike buddy on the second day of training camp, hitching a ride on the boy’s bike from Lambeau Field to Ray Nitschke Field before practice. As they talked, he learned Travis’ mom, Alicia, was in the hospital with a brain hemorrhage. A couple of days later, Corey took Travis shopping for a new bike as a diversion while his mom was in intensive care.

It was a gesture that, to Corey’s surprise, went viral after Travis’ dad, John, shared a heartfelt Facebook post about it. It was also the start of a friendship that has gone well beyond the bike bond Corey, 27, and Travis, now 14, share each year at training camp. The Linsleys — Corey and wife Anna and their newborn son, Seamus — and the Kohlbecks — Alicia and John and their four children, Jenna, twins Travis and Sydney, and Nate — have become like extended family to one another.

The Linsleys spent their first Thanksgiving in Green Bay around the Kohlbecks’ table. They’ve celebrated birthdays and confirmations together, shared dinners at Kroll’s, tailgated on Packers Sundays, exchanged gifts at Christmas and gotten to know grandparents. Before Anna knew she could park in the players’ lot at Lambeau Field on game days, the Kohlbecks, who used to live within walking distance of the stadium, would let her park at their house. The Linsleys have watched the Kohlbeck children grow up and become teenagers with jobs and driver’s licenses.

“When you move to a new city, you don’t know the culture or the people there, but I think that the culture of the people of Green Bay, at least from our experience, has been very open and welcoming to us. I feel like that was the Kohlbecks in general,” Corey said. “They invited us into their home. They were thrilled that I bought Travis his bike ... but in addition to that, they were just good people in general. I feel like we were very fortunate to have met such a wonderful family, but I feel like a lot of people are like that in Green Bay.”

Corey and Anna are counting on the community’s neighborly ways and giving spirit to help them help the Kohlbecks as the family once again faces hardship.

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The two couples had gone out for dinner together a month ago. It was happy times. The Linsleys were expecting their first child any day. The Kohlbecks were looking forward to their spring break trip to Florida.

A week later, Anna had a text from Alicia that she had taken John to the emergency room. He had been previously treated for an infected boil on his leg, but when he could barely get out of bed three days later, Alicia insisted he go to the ER. It saved his life.

He was diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis, commonly known as flesh-eating disease, and rushed into emergency surgery, where they removed nearly all the skin on the thigh of his left leg and on some on his calf.

He was airlifted to Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee, where he has been in a coma since March 3. He has suffered a series of small strokes and undergone multiple surgeries for skin grafts.

The Linsleys felt helpless but decided once the baby was born they wanted to put together a benefit for the Kohlbecks, who face mounting medical bills.

Seamus, who was born March 14, means there’s a new sleep schedule in the Linsley home. Anna, who has worked as an events planner, used those awake hours in the middle of the night to start hammering out details and sending out emails. Corey met with the Packers.

The Linsleys will host Rock for John from 6:30 to 10 p.m. April 17 at Badger State Brewing Co. in Green Bay. Featured entertainment will be Johnny Wad as well as a set from Anna, who plans to sing some female rock covers.

“The reason I thought of a concert was because John loves the Grateful Dead. He actually has two Grateful Dead tattoos," she said. "He loves ’80s rock, so that was kind of where the whole idea came from."

The night will also include a silent auction, basket raffles, T-shirt sales, food trucks and possibly some appearances by Packers players. Tickets are $15 in advance at eventbrite.com and $20 day of event. Children 5 and younger are free if accompanied by an adult.

A GoFundMe campaign has also been set up for the Kohlbecks and has raised more than $10,000 of its $25,000 goal.

There has been some encouraging news about John in recent days. Anna received word he has been opening his eyes and is aware of visitors. The Kohlbecks — John works for Dedicated Systems and Alicia for a health insurance company — have a long road ahead of them. There are no facilities in Green Bay that can accommodate his needs for long-term care, Anna said, and he likely will have to go to a skilled nursing facility for rehab .

The response to the benefit has been overwhelming.

“The amount of donations, the amount of silent auction items and raffle items, even the donating of time and space and by Johnny Wad and everything,” Corey said. “We were honestly taken aback by how much people wanted to donate and how willing they were to just do it for the good of the community.”

It has been difficult for the Linsleys to see their close friends go through such hardships just as they’re experiencing the joy of their first child.

“The baby has been a beautiful reminder of how precious life is and the same with John’s situation. Things can just change in a flash,” Anna said. “I had been home with the baby for a week, and I was actually sitting in the rocking chair with the baby and I started crying talking to (John’s mom), because that’s her baby that’s in that hospital bed. I know he’s not a baby anymore, obviously, but once you become a parent, your perspective just changes so much.”

Contact Kendra Meinert at 920-431-8347 or kmeinert@greenbay.gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @KendraMeinert.