Community Corner
Bruins fan from Northborough with Down Syndrome meets players
- After Battling Leukemia, 7-year-old boy Realizes Sports Fantasy of a Lifetime – Four years ago, it might have been hard for Liam Fitzgerald’s family to envision the kind of day he would have on Feb. 1, 2014. That’s when Liam was the special guest of his favorite Bruin, defenseman, Adam McQuaid at the TD Garden as the Bruins faced off against the Edmonton Oilers. In 2010, Liam, who was then 4, was entering treatment for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and nobody knew what to expect. But after 3 ½ years of treatment, Liam, who has Down syndrome, came through with flying colors. What probably didn’t hurt was the love, resilience and support of his family, not only for Liam personally but for others like him. In November, Liam’s brother, Nick Cavanna, played in the Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress’ 9th Annual Hockey Benefit Game featuring the MDSC All-Stars versus the Boston Bruins Alumni team made up of Bruins legends. In advance of the game at the New England Sports Center in Marlboro, Nick raised more than $3,000 in honor of Liam to support the MDSC programs for people with Down syndrome. At the silent auction, Liam’s family brought home for Liam the bike of his dreams from Belmont Wheelworks. As Nick wrote on his fundraising page at the time, Liam “loves sports and the Bruins!” Indeed, Liam had even dressed as McQuaid, a 5-year veteran with the Bruins, for Halloween. The MDSC, which partners with the Bruins Foundation on the Annual Hockey Benefit and a 50/50 raffle at a Bruins game each year, helped connect Liam’s family with the Bruins. According to Liam’s mom, Christine, going to the game as the special guest of Adam McQuaid was “the best ever.” Liam met the Bruins Ice Girls, mascot Blades the bear, and players Brad Marchand, Milan Lucic, Patrice Bergeron, Johnny Boychuk and Shawn Thornton. But that wasn’t all, she said. “Liam was fan of the game, given a Lucic pin from a fan, a Combat Action Badge from an Iraq War survivor, a medal blessed by the Pope from a woman in the train station, and $20 from a stranger for his savings account,” she said. “There are many amazing and giving people in the world. But the best part of the day was seeing how happy and how much fun Liam had,” she added.
Throughout the year, the MDSC will highlight the Champions of the Down syndrome movement here in Massachusetts and demonstrate the resilience of our community and how we all pull together to ensure that people with Down syndrome everywhere have opportunities to lead fulfilling lives
http://www.whdh.com/story/24673188/bruins-fan-with-down-syndrome-meets-players
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