Stephen Curry makes wish come true for 10-year-old fan with inoperable brain tumor
Before he kicked off another long NBA season with the Golden State Warriors’ Media Day session on Monday, defending NBA champion Stephen Curry took some time out to share a few moments with a special fan embroiled in a fight more grueling than anything the league’s reigning Most Valuable Player will face on the court.
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Earlier this year, doctors diagnosed a boy from Killen, Texas, named Taliq Davis with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, or DIPG — a tumor near the base of his brain stem that causes the body’s nervous system to lose function, prompts double vision, and makes chewing and swallowing more difficult, among other debilitating symptoms. The tumor is inoperable — DIPG is the same disease that struck Lauren Hill, the Mount St. Joseph University forward whose courage inspired millions before she succumbed to cancer this spring — and he was nine years old when doctors discovered it.
Someone who heard about Taliq’s diagnosis shared his story with a member of the Warriors’ community relations staff; he counts the Dubs as his favorite team, and Curry as his favorite player. One month after the diagnosis, Taliq received a care package of souvenirs from the Warriors, headlined by an autographed photo of Curry.
Four months later, when Taliq celebrated his 10th birthday, he did so with an estimated 10,000 birthday cards and gifts sent by well-wishers all over the country, and even as far away as Australia. Thanks in part to a reminder from team mom extraordinaire Mary Babers-Green, mother of Warriors forward Draymond Green, he also received a special birthday message from Steph:
Happy 10th Birthday to my man Taliq. Keep fighting, keep believing. We are all praying & rooting for you! #TeamTaliq pic.twitter.com/4wBy3PF9kb
— Stephen Curry (@StephenCurry30) July 23, 2015
Thanks so much @StephenCurry30 you made my day I almost cried https://t.co/kjPPET4bHq
— taliq davis (@taliqdavis11) July 23, 2015
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Last week, Taliq got to meet the MVP and his teammates in person, as the Warriors welcomed him and his family to their training facility in the Bay for a special visit:
Went to go meet stephen curry hade fun pic.twitter.com/Bbf23mtZ6Z
— taliq davis (@taliqdavis11) September 27, 2015
Went to go meet klay Thompson pic.twitter.com/K40THKIMvF
— taliq davis (@taliqdavis11) September 27, 2015
Taliq has reportedly already undergone four surgeries in his battle with DIPG, and given the nature of the condition, will likely continue to face daunting challenges. Here’s hoping that the opportunity to meet his hero lightened the burden on this brave young man, if only for a moment, and that the memory of the experience can help makes what figures to be a difficult path ahead just a bit easier to travel.
Hat-tip to Bleacher Report.
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
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