FOXBORO, MASS. (WHDH) - The New England Revolution surprised a 4-year-old cancer survivor with his own jersey at a soccer practice.
As the team’s season winds down, the Revs hosted a special guest at practice Tuesday — Brock Nowicki of Rhode Island.
He was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer when he was 3 years old.
“Brock is very silly, very funny, and even going through his treatments, he maintained that spirit and he ended up having a lot of fun at the hospital, even though that’s not what you’d typically expect to happen at a hospital,” said Brock’s mother Melissa Nowicki.
During his stay at Hasbro Children’s, Brock and his family met with the Izzy Foundation, an organization that supports children with cancer and their families.
The foundation helped make Brock’s dream of meeting the Revs come true.
“It’s great to be reminded that life is bigger than a soccer match,” said Caleb Porter, the team’s head coach. “For us to be able to make today a special day for Brock and his family means a lot to us and it does put life in perspective and enriches our club and our purpose in this club.”
While Brock was undergoing treatment, the Izzy Foundation had him create his own custom design. The Revolution will wear the design inside the numbers on their jerseys when they host a children’s cancer awareness night next month.
“It’s really special. It’s an incredibly inspiring story,” said Will Sands, a Revs defender. “He’s been through something that most of us will probably never experience something like that and the toughness that he shows is an example to all of us. It’s very inspiring and I’m honored to wear the kit that he designed.”
After six months of chemotherapy, Brock is officially cancer-free.
His mother said his refusal to give up while undergoing treatment has been an inspiration.
“Brock was going through this like he wasn’t going through anything at all. So, it really taught me to stop worrying about the little things that would bother me and just really soak up everything that you have,” she said.
After the Revs game on Sept. 28, all the players’ jerseys will be auctioned off with 100 percent of the proceeds going back to the Izzy Foundation.
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