A day shy of Thanksgiving, Jack Gallagher was given a moment to be thankful for, in the wake of a singular tragedy just two months earlier.
Thirteen-year-old Jack’s mother, Lisa Elaine Gallagher, passed away in September following a yearlong fight with glioblastoma, a form of brain cancer. Jack, an avid basketball player, is a huge Chris Paul fan, and one of the final gifts from his mother was a pair of CP3.VII AE shoes, which he wore religiously throughout his eighth-grade hoops season until he’d outgrown them to such a degree that he began getting blisters. Even then, he was reticent to stop wearing the shoes, one of the final ties to his beloved mother.
After finally retiring them, as a tribute, Jack placed a vase of flowers inside one of the now-too-small shoes and placed it on Lisa’s grave, keeping the other shoe as a lifelong memento of his mother. All this and more was captured in a video about Jack and his mother, which was posted online and began racking up views immediately. Including by Jack’s favorite player.
As soon as he watched the video, Chris Paul was touched and reached out to the Gallaghers, getting Jack and his family tickets to Wednesday’s Clippers game in Detroit, a 3-and-a-half-hour drive from their home in Erie, Pennsylvania. Before the game, Chris spent half an hour with Jack before presenting him with a big surprise. First, there was the gear, as Chris gave the young fan three pairs of new shoes and two bags full of Jordan gear.
Then came the truly unforgettable moment. Like Jack Gallagher had done so many times during his previous basketball season, Chris wrote Lisa’s initials on his shoes before taking the court against the Pistons, even dedicating his performance that night to her memory.
Watch much of the story for yourself below; it’ll put into perspective some of those things to be thankful for.
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