A Leicester City fan with a special connection to the team had a dream-come-true experience at King Power Stadium on Tuesday.
Travis Hackett, who became a fan of the Foxes during the 2014–15 season, credits his ability to get through leukemia treatment to the team’s inspiring, improbable Premier League title win last year.
“It was my inspiration to keep on going through all my treatment and they just helped me amazingly,” Hackett said in a BBC News story about the trip.
The 13-year-old’s trip was made possible courtesy of the Craig Willinger Fund, a charity set up to raise the spirits of young soccer fans dealing with cancer.
Here’s a video, filmed by Hackett’s parents, of the youngster’s reaction as he learns about the surprise trip:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZG_hJiUjAEc
LCFC manager Craig Shakespeare said Hackett would be welcomed—”We do things like this in the community here, not just local but international”—and Shakespeare and his team made good on that promise.
On Tuesday, Hackett got the chance to watch Leicester take on Sunderland at home. Not only did his team take a 2–0 victory, but Hackett served as mascot for the game.
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