VIDEO: Tiny Boston Bruins Fan Who Has Down Syndrome and is Recovering From Cancer Adorably Fist Bumps All the Players

07 Nov, 2014 by Cassy Fiano

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So many professional athletes are in the news for constant wrongdoing, that it’s refreshing to see some of them doing so much good. One little boy with Down syndrome is a big Boston Bruins fan, and in an adorable video that’s gone viral, he fist bumps every one of the players, all of whom have helped lift his spirits through his fight with cancer.

A brave 8-year-old boy with Down Syndrome who successfully battled cancer got to fist bump all the players on the hockey team The Boston Bruins on Tuesday night.

Footage of the adorable exchange between Liam Fitzgerald and the players on the Bruins went viral with nearly 1 million views and it’s no surprise.

Liam smiled over and over again as he reached out his tiny fist towards the Bruins before their 2-1 win over the Florida Panthers after they finished their pre-game warmups.

The Obnoxious Boston Fan column on Boston.com reports that Liam was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia when he was just four-years-old.

After three and a half years of battling the grueling illness he won the war and made some amazing friends along the way.

Liam is a huge sports fan and the Bruins and the Red Sox were there for him during the best and the worst of his illness.

Liam visited Fenway Park this past summer as a guest of starting pitcher Clay Buchholz, and joined Buchholz and company at the annual Buchholz Bowl in July.

Boston.com reports that Liam’s true love is for the Boston Bruins and he even dressed up as defenseman Adam McQuaid for Halloween last year.

The Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress, who has a partnership with the Bruins Foundation for an annual charity fundraiser, told McQuaid that Liam is a big fan of his.

When McQuaid learned about his biggest fan, he invited Liam and his family to a Bruins game last February.

Liam was ecstatic when he met Milan Lucic, Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and now-former Bruins Johnny Boychuk and Shawn Thornton.

‘It not the attention, it’s the smile they bring to his face,’ his mom, Christine Fitzgerald, told Boston.com.

‘I watch what the Bruins do at Children’s Hospital. The athletes take the gift they have of their fame down to a personal level. It goes beyond their hockey skill set and shows they are human. Giving back. Sharing their gift with others,’ she added.

This story is beyond just heartwarming. It’s a great reminder that there is still good in the world, at a time when we’re constantly surrounded by so much negative.