Buccaneers' Mike Evans has Fortnite invite for 'excited' young fan
TAMPA, Fla. - Talking superheroes and video games, little Landen Sapien was quite the natural interviewing his sports hero, Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans.
"The chatting part was pretty fun, and I was pretty excited," Landon admitted.
The 8-year-old Tampa boy is a hero in his own right. He’s been battling T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia for a year and a half.
His mother Amy says it’s the less common kind.
"It is three and a half years of chemo, and we still have 90 more weeks," she explained.
Landen was chosen to be a part of the Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation’s upcoming "50 Faces of Cancer" fundraiser on March 11, where kids fighting the disease interview some of the NFL’s greatest players.
When the two got together, it was more than just a quick interview.
"I have a baby monitor, so I was at my desk, and I could hear them," Amy recalled. "They’re playing and they’re just talking like they’re old friends."
As for what superpower Landen would choose, he told Evans, one of the NFL’s fastest, that he would also like to be super fast.
"But I’m already pretty darn fast," Landen pointed out.
"Alright," Evans laughed. "Well, you already got that one."
Afterwards, Amy says, she overheard the two playing video games for two entire hours.
"It was pretty cool," Landen continued. "We won two victories; we were playing Fortnite. And it was pretty cool. Me and him are both really good players."
The journey hasn’t just been a tough road for Landen; Amy was diagnosed with breast cancer last March. The two are now battling cancer at the same time.
Evans left an invite on the table for any future time Landen sees his username online.
"He said as long as his lobby isn’t full, I can jump into a game with him in the future," Landen added.
With another year and a half of treatment, it’s certainly a bright spot he can look forward to.
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