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Connor Barwin Grants Wish For 15-Year-Old Boy Fighting Cancer

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Connor Barwin should be the NFL man of the year. Philadelphia's Mayor, Michael Nutter, agrees.

Nutter's tweet came after Barwin helped raise $2.5 million to renovate Smith Recreation Center Facility in Philadelphia on Monday. But that was just Barwin's morning.

On Monday night, just hours later, the 29-year-old Philadelphia Eagles linebacker made one boy's dream come true.

Dan Hill was 13-years-old when a tumor was found in his right femur. He was later diagnosed with a type of cancer called osteosarcoma. After 21 rounds of chemotherapy and major knee surgery, a nodule was found in Dan's lungs and was devastatingly lined with more cancel cells this past September.

Hill, 15, is currently undergoing more chemotherapy and is unable to attend Shawnee High School in New Jersey. Hill is also a huge Eagles fan and more specifically, a Barwin fan.

And thanks to this letter Hill's solicitous friend Gianna Glatz sent to SportsRadio 94WIP's Marketing Director Cindy Webster, Barwin provided Hill with a night he'll never forget.

Ms. Webster,

My name is Gianna Glatz and I am a junior at Shawnee High School.  My friend Dan Hill is fifteen years old and has reoccurring cancer.  He is currently isolated from his friends which is hard on him since he is unable to go to school.  Dan is a big Eagles fan, especially a Connor Barwin fan, and I would like to give him a Barwin jersey signed by the team (or Barwin himself) during his chemotherapy treatments to lift his spirits.  Please pass on this email because I know it would mean a lot to him as well as his family and remind him that he still has the same support as the first time he was diagnosed with cancer.

Thank you,

Gianna Glatz

 

So, during Monday's 94WIP Players' Lounge Show, Hill was able to hang out with his favorite athlete at Chickie's and Pete's in South Philly and get his midnight green No. 98 jersey signed.

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Amidst anger and rage surrounding the 6-9 Eagles, Barwin has reminded us of the importance sports serves in our community. And Dan is the real hero.

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