PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — While scrolling through social media one day, Flyers goalie Carter Hart came across a touching story of one of his biggest fans.
Carter Gettler is a 5-year-old boy who is facing something much worse than opposing players shooting pucks. The youngster is battling LCH, a rare form of cancer. Gettler's favorite player is Hart, and he wears his hero's jersey when he goes to his treatments.
So Hart decided to show his support for his young fan.
"It was their page 'coco strong,'" said Hart. "Someone tagged me in their picture of Carter wearing a Flyers shirt with my number on the back saying he loves to wear that shirt with his favorite player on his back to his cancer treatments. I reached out and said I wanted to get some bracelets to show my support."
While Hart's purchase of the bracelets was quite generous, the goalie wanted to do more.
When the team's reverse retro jerseys arrived, Hart knew exactly who should get his first one.
"I got my reverse retro jersey from the team," Hart said. "We were supposed to do a little revealing with that, and I thought it would be better if in return for the bracelet, that maybe we give him that first reverse retro jersey in return to show our support for him and his fight."
This was another example of the generosity of a Philadelphia athlete.
For all the stories heard in the sports world about bad situations with athletes, there are far more inspirational ones.
Many can be found in Philadelphia, and Hart understands the importance of doing his part.
"I think that it's really important for us as athletes that we set a good example for younger generations," said Hart. "People are always keeping their eye on us, so we have to always make sure that we are doing the right thing. I guess that's just who I am."
Hart was happy to see how happy Gettler was to receive the gift from his hockey hero. Hart made it clear he will continue to support his new friend as he continues the battle with this deadly disease.
"That was cool to see," Hart said. "He looked like he was a little shy for the camera, but I saw his sister read out loud what I wrote on the jersey. Like I said, I just wanted to brighten up his day. He's going through a bit of a tough time, so anything I can do to help, I'm glad to do it."
