Kyle Osborne now can cross a basketball-related item off his bucket list.
Osborne, a 19-year-old Albuquerque, N.M., resident who suffers from a rare and aggressive form of cancer, fulfilled one of his life’s goals last week when he met LeBron James prior to Game 3 of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Eastern Conference finals series against the Boston Celtics.
Osborne flew to Cleveland, attended the game and experienced some of the city’s finest activities, thanks to a social-media campaign that a physician’s assistant and his family launched last month.
This is Kyle. He is 19 w/terminal cancer. His wish is to meet @KingJames before he dies. Please help us reach him by retweeting #KylesWish pic.twitter.com/8JY94b21Fe
— L. 🩺🩹 (@MiaowABQ) April 21, 2017
Already getting closer to @KingJames! Love that smile, Kyle ❤☄#KylesWish pic.twitter.com/sbMjymai9t
— L. 🩺🩹 (@MiaowABQ) May 20, 2017
CLEVELAND THANK YOU!!!! WE DID IT!!!! KYLE MET LEBRON JAMES LAST NIGHT!!!! #KylesWish pic.twitter.com/NNgQ02kKQD
— Vern Thompson (@VernThompson) May 22, 2017
Osborne also met TNT NBA analyst and Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley.
That's our rockstar, Kyle, meeting @CharlesBarkIey 😎 #KylesWish pic.twitter.com/11IEwLUaSt
— L. 🩺🩹 (@MiaowABQ) May 21, 2017
Osborne met James with the help of the Cleveland chapter of A Special Wish Foundation, which helps people suffering from life-threatening illnesses live their dreams.
“After meeting Kyle and his family, we knew we wanted to show them what Cleveland is all about,” A Special Wish Cleveland co-founder Jason Beudert told The Albuquerque Journal. “We wanted to show them the spirit of Cleveland.”
And what a spirit it is.
Thumbnail photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images
