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An Ontario teenager, whose wish to shake hands with LeBron James came true last Christmas, has died following a battle with cancer.
At the age of 17, Corey Groves of Brampton was diagnosed with very aggressive stage four sarcoma cancer in the summer of 2019. He was told he had a year to live.
After his diagnosis, Groves obtained a wish from the Children’s Wish Foundation. Being a Los Angeles Lakers superfan, the teenager quickly realized that his only desire would be to meet his hero, LeBron James, not for an autograph or a shirt, but simply for a handshake.
Grove’s wish came true on December 25, 2019 in Los Angeles with help from the Lakers organization and Toronto Raptors superfan Nav Bhatia.
Speaking of his interaction with the NBA superstar a couple of days later, Groves said that “as soon as I entered the arena my eyes fixed on him, and he looked directly in my direction.”
Groves said he tried to stay calm and act as if James were a normal, normal person.
“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity,” he said. “I wanted it to be flawless.”
On his Instagram page on Monday, a family member confirmed that Groves had lost his battle with cancer late last month.
“Corey was a standing boy, a scholar and a gentleman,” wrote his aunt Sherry. “He saw the good in everyone and the beauty in everything.”
“He will be sadly missed by so many.”
The online post went on to thank everyone who helped make Groves’ wish come true and encouraged people to share photographs, videos, or interactions with the teen to keep his memory alive.
“He faced life with his head held high and refused to stop until his last breath on Halloween 2020. His only desire was to shake hands with his hero. Corey is and always will be our hero. “
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