Pat Maroon makes day of little Lightning super fan battling cystic fibrosis

TAMPA, Fla. - A 4-year-old super fan of the Tampa Bay Lightning is thanking one of his idols for an unforgettable moment. Bradley Wombles, who is battling cystic fibrosis, was gifted a signed hockey stick Saturday night from Lightning forward Pat Maroon.

It was an unforgettable moment Bradley and his family.

"It definitely put a smile on his face and made his whole entire year," Bradley's mom, Juliane Wombles said.

Bradley has been asking his parents to go to a game for more than a year. Saturday, he got his wish and attended his first-ever Lightning game at Amalia Arena. His family drove 4 hours from Crawfordville, near Tallahassee, to be there.

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His dad, Bryant tweeted about the special moment, tagging Lightning forward Pat Maroon, hoping he might toss him a puck or take a picture with him.

Within minutes, Maroon responded writing, "I got you Bradley.. look out for a stick at warmups."

Sure enough, Maroon delivered, gifting him a signed hockey stick before the game.

"It was huge. We fight so many lows with this disease. From one day to another, you never know what you'll be going through, so to have him give Bradley this bright spot and it turned into a bright spot for our whole family. It was huge," Wombles said.

Bradley has to undergo breathing treatments for 30 minutes twice a day, and sometimes four times a day if he's sick. He also has to take enzyme medication before every meal for his pancreas. 

His mother, Juliane Wombles says he's fighter.

In Bradley's eyes, he's just like Maroon, as seen by his sign that reads, "I fight cystic fibrosis like Big Rig fights other players."

"When we got done that day he was jumping up and down in the hotel room saying it was a good day," Wombles said.

The Wombles family says having Pat Maroon shine a light on their day also helps shine a light on the fight against cystic fibrosis, making the moment even more special. 

CF is a progressive disease that affects the cells that produce mucus, sweat, and digestive juices. It occurs in about 1 in every 3,500 newborns. Wombles says every day has its challenges so when special moments like these happen she says they do their best to take it all in.

"This whole experience has been far more than we were every expecting," Wombles said.

The hockey stick now hangs in Bradley's room as a reminder of his first game and reminder to keep fighting.