Med student wins date with destiny

The 26-year-old Lincoln Park resident was selected to be Sarah Spain's date to the game Sunday in Miami. Spain, 26, a lifelong Bears fan and former Lake Forest resident, had planned to auction herself on eBay as a date in exchange for a Super Bowl ticket.

But after eBay shut down bidding for the opportunity to hang with Spain, Chicago-based men's grooming brand AXE made Spain's ploy an official reality.

AXE hooked her up with four tickets to the game -- but on one condition. She had to select one male Bears fan through a nationwide contest to be her date for the game. All Shahtaji had to do was submit an e-mail telling Spain why she should pick him to attend the big game with Spain and her two girlfriends.

''I can't believe this is happening,'' said Shahtaji, a medical student working at Burke Medical Group in Olympia Fields. ''I've read about people winning the lottery, and I always wonder who gets to win stuff like that. Now, I'm going to the Super Bowl with a super cool girl.''

Thanks to AXE, Shahtaji's airfare and hotel also are taken care of. He leaves Saturday morning.

''When Alan told me in an e-mail that he wasn't willing to miss a second of the game to get us beers if we wanted them, I knew he was the one,'' Spain said. ''Dishing out tons of cash for medical school meant spending thousands to go to the Super Bowl wasn't an option. So I decided to hook him up the way I got hooked up.''