BOSTON (WHDH) - A Celtics fan who beat cancer made a meaningful connection with Marcus Smart during the playoffs this year.
Stepan Birmann, 12, was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2020 and had to undergo several surgeries along with radiation and chemotherapy treatments. But he is now cancer-free and at Game 1 of the Celtics’ playoff series against the Milwaukee Bucks, held a sign in the stands reading “I beat cancer, never give up!!!”
“I wasn’t really expecting anything, I was just trying to spread hope to the Celtics,” Birmann said.
But he quickly got a visit from Marcus Smart, who lost his mother to cancer in 2018. Smart posed for photos and later sent Birmann some of his shoes, and tweeted about the meeting.
“Stepan Birmann is 12 years old and cancer free and that, everyone is more important than anything else in the world!” Smart tweeted. “Thanks for supporting us man, and praying for continued health my friend! That’s a true win!”
“It was amazing,” Birmann said of the encounter. “He’s like the nicest Celtics player I ever met. We need you here in Boston forever, man.”
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