LAFAYETTE — "At least try and not just give up. You can't just give up."
The last four years have been a challenge for Camden Barnard.
"Day by day... week by week.. we consulted with our doctors."
Now 11 years old, Cam has battled with leukemia twice. Wise beyond his years, he's learned that his fight is more than physical.
"It's not like physical strength, it's like mental almost, for me", says Camden.
In his war with cancer, Cam hoped to inspire others, including Saints running back, Alvin Kamara. While being treated in New Orleans for 6 months, his story spread around the Big Easy and caught the attention of one super fan.
"When I got bombarded with tags on this article initially I laughed because they think i have this relationship with Gayle Benson and I cant just pull a string and meet Alvin Kamara", says Stephanie Williams, 2020 Saints Fan of the Year. "I think it was awesome because they think if anyone knows of a way Steph knows of a way."
Williams then reached out to Pat (father) with the goal of having Cam as her plus one to a charity event that the 5-time pro bowler was attending.
Three months later, it was a dream come true for them both.
"We gave him our bracelet and fist bump and threw the ball... it was a spiral."
"It just warmed my heart. It was hard to not cry because you know how much this means to this kid. But it was the right thing to do and it meant the world to me to be able to give him the opportunity."
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