Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James wrote a letter responding to a massive, teenage fan of his who is terminally ill.
Emanuel Duncan, 19, suffers from Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and will likely not live past his 20s. His story was chronicled in the Indy Star where he said:
“My bucket list is to meet LeBron. That’s the one thing I want to do. Meet LeBron James. That’s my role model. He inspires me to do everything. To be a good person, to put other people first, to live your life and do what makes you happy. If I meet LeBron James, that would make my day. I wouldn’t ask for anything.”
James decided to respond by writing Duncan a letter after he heard about his struggle.
LeBron’s letter to Emanuel. Don’t ever say LeBron is no hero. Not to me. LeBron saw this: https://t.co/H4KdwxCEdg pic.twitter.com/hD34HAMQOj
— Gregg Doyel (@GreggDoyelStar) November 13, 2015
The letter reads:
Hey Emanuel,
I’ve heard some pretty amazing things about you, and from what I’ve heard, I can tell you are an unbelievable coach. I know you said that I’m your role model and that I inspire you, but I know that you give so many people inspiration, including me. You are living out what it means to be a role model, to be a good person, to put others first and live life to the fullest, doing what makes you happy. It is awesome that you are inspiring so many young kids and teaching them about the importance of living life to the fullest. You live this out each and every day. This is a reminder to me to continue doing that whether I’m on or off the court.
I wanted to send you a few things I thought you’d like to let you know I’m thinking about you. I know you are a fighter and you are very strong. And I hope you know that you are not going through this alone… I know you have a whole team of people from everywhere supporting you. Not sure if you know this, but I wear these things called I PROMISE bands every time I step onto the court. They make me think of the PROMISES I have made to myself and others. Here’s one for you and me to share as we work with kids… I PROMISE TO NEVER GIVE UP.
Together we will change the world.
LeBron James
This isn’t the first time James has done something like this. In August, James pledged to pay the full college tuition of 1100 kids. (RELATED: LeBron James Will Provide 1,100 FULL College Scholarships To Kids From His Hometown)
Job well done, job well done.