BOSTON (WHDH) - It is safe to say 91-year-old Jean McGuire enjoyed her recent visit from Celtics star Jaylen Brown.
“He gave me a hug goodbye – I said ‘God, don’t let go,'” McGuire joked. “He’s a sweet guy, nice guy – he likes kids and he’s very attuned to the needs of whatever community he’s playing in.”
Earlier in the week, Brown paid a visit to the local civil rights icon as she continues to recover from an assault that left her seriously injured. Speaking with 7NEWS, she said a great deal of their three-hour conversation centered around how to give back: something the longtime activist and founder of the METCO program can relate to.
“He looks at it as a whole that needs to be supported, which is why I like his point of view,” McGuire said. “Very caring, kind of a, you know, for a big guy, kind of a soft, caring guy that sees through the murk, at what’s real.”
“What a night!” Brown previously said in a tweet soon after the meeting. “Jean McGuire thank you for the work you continue to do, and have done in our community. I admire you. Your strength/resilience is amazing it was an honor to spend some time with you. I am looking forward to working with METCO and talking more about the community.”
The spirit-lifting visit came almost a month after McGuire was violently attacked in Franklin Park while walking her dog. McGuire required several surgeries after the attack on Oct. 11, but has been on the mend ever since.
“He was going to kill me, and I wasn’t about to die!” she said, describing the man who stabbed her multiple times that night. “He tackled me from behind and smashed my face, half on the sidewalk and half on the street.”
Her dog, Bailey, likely saved her life.
“I heard her bark and growl and she grabbed him by the ankle – it (was) a scary time,” she said.
Though her attacker is still out there, McGuire said she is confident he will not be for long.
“They’re looking for him – I don’t know how the police handle it, because I don’t tell them how to do their job, they know what they’re doing,” McGuire said.
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