You’ve been an Eagles fan your entire life.

Everything — your shoes, socks, hats and even your daughter’s braces — carry the Eagles’ symbol. Every year, you’re there hoping, heckling, wishing and cheering when opponents become injured, all for your Eagles to rise above the gridiron and land in the promised land that is the Super Bowl.

Only problem is, your birds haven’t seen the Super Bowl in 24 years. And for three seasons prior to this year, they nosedived in the NFC title game.

As a result, your life was shattered; for months, you were a mess with no direction, no purpose and no drive.

Basically, you had no life.

You were never happy and only winning could make you so.

But then something strange and magnificent happened this year: the Eagles made it.

And with that victory, happiness arrived at last.

Jacksonville, Super Bowl XXXIX: Here we come.

Or maybe not.

You see, you’ve maxed out your credit cards — you needed a different jersey for every home game, obviously — and all the home equity is tapped.

What do you do?

Well, if you’re Kevin P. O’Donoghue (we’ll call him Eagle Fan to ease pronunciation problems), you do what any true Eagles fan would do: borrow against your home for the needed cash.

Duh.

Calling it the “chance of a lifetime,” Eagle Fan paid $4,000 on a Super Bowl bundle to the Feb. 6 game, according to The Associated Press.

To “afford” the package, which includes round-trip airfare, a four-night stay in a hotel and one game ticket, Eagle Fan was approved for a a new line of credit, which means, essentially, that he will be using his home as collateral to watch a game.

That’s anywhere from 10 to 20 years of debt. The way things have gone in the past, the next time the Eagles make it to the Super Bowl, Eagle Fan might be back in the black.

If anything, this guy gives new meaning to the expression, “Take it to the house.”

When the Eagles lose on Sunday — there’s a bold statement — all I’ll be able to think about is this guy traveling back to Philly with not only the weight of a Super Bowl loss on his shoulders, but also with the added pressure of the super bills awaiting him at home.

And it’s sad.

But it’s not just Eagle Fan who is bird-brained. The whole city of Philadelphia is.

Upon realizing the Eagles had advanced to the Super Bowl, Eagles enthusiasts reacted like their city was just renamed the capitol of the United States.

A news piece on SportsCenter caught some reactions on tape.

When asked about the Eagles’ advancement, one man claimed it was “the greatest day in the history of Philadelphia.”

Even greater than the day the Declaration of Independence was signed?

Well, maybe. Read on for yourself.

We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created Eagles; that they are endowed by Andy Reid with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, Donovan and the pursuit of Corey Dillon.

Another man called in to talk radio to share with the nation that he cried for “hours and hours” when the Eagles made it.

Really? Then what happens after a Super Bowl loss?

Let’s just hope Philadelphia is bringing in the nation’s top suicide-hotline personnel on Sunday night.

Especially for Eagle Fan, who told the AP that “Sometimes the cards are maxed out and (you’ve got) to do what (you’ve got) to do.”

I’m a fan. But I’m no Eagle Fan. While I’m fine with just cheering for my team, Eagle Fan would rather sacrifice his livelihood for his.

How could one become so wrapped up in a game — a game — that they are willing to sacrifice their financial future?

But that’s the thing: for fans like Eagle Fan, it’s not a game. It’s their life, their never-ending pursuit of happiness.