Chelsea FC star Erin Cuthbert gave Alexis, a nine-year-old Scottish girl who survived Leukemia, a gift that she might not forget any time soon.
Alexis, a budding footballer, was diagnosed with Leukemia in 2014, and after years of other supplementary treatments, her father revealed that she had managed to beat Leukemia, which is a broad term for cancer of the blood cells.
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The young girl had for years suffered from the condition that depends on her blood cells, that in turn become cancerous.
Her father divulged that he was shell-shocked when he first learned about Alexis’ condition.
“When you hear the word Leukemia you think of cancer and how few people survive it. That is the first fear you get. Maybe if she had been born 50 or 60 years ago, it could have been unsurvivable.
“Thankful, nowadays survival rates are almost 100%, but that doesn’t stop the word being loaded when you first hear it,” he explained.
Similar to a soldier who returns victorious from the battlefield, many charity foundations wanted to reward Alexis for surviving the dangerous disease.
Some of these foundations wanted to sponsor her to visit places that kids like such as Legoland, but she politely declined.
Her dad disclosed that Alexis could not accept the offer because she felt other children in the hospital deserved the gift more.
“So towards the end of the treatment, a lot of charities came and gave things like trips to Legoland, and basically everything that kids want.
“And then what Alexis thought was, a lot of the other kids in the hospital had a lot worse than she did. She felt that they deserve it more than she did, so we didn’t go to Legoland,” he disclosed.
However, after a short while, the Scotland Football Association (SFA) and Adidas teamed up and give her a special present.
They organized for Alexis’ family to travel to London where she met Cuthbert, her idol, for the first time. It was also her first time traveling by plane.
“We were contacted by SFA, and they said Adidas would take us to London, give us a shopping spree and surprise us with Erin Cuthbert to meet. I think that surprise went very well,” he ended.
When Alexis finally met Cuthbert, she was overwhelmed with emotions. The latter gave Alexis a tight hug before presenting her with gifts.
Cuthbert also promised to perform Alexis’ favorite celebration the next time she scores a goal at the club or international level.
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