In a story that seems like it was ripped from our nightmares, an 8-year old boy named Demetrius Gollett was at his great-grandmother’s home on February 18, when it caught fire. Demetrius was trapped in a hallway as the house burned around him, ultimately killing his great-grandmother and badly injuring his great-grandfather. Fortunately, two firefighters were able to rush into the fire and save Demetrius, but the boy still had to spend a month in a burn center, where he was unconscious for two weeks.
Demetrius is home with his family in Ft. Pierce, Florida now, and everyone seems to be trying to help him return to normalcy and make him happy. But it turns out that one man could take care of that all by himself.
This week, the St. Lucie County firefighters who saved Demetrius met him at Linzi’s diner in Fort Pierce, posing for pictures with the badly scarred but still smiling boy.
“I really thank them for saving his life, I really do,” said [his mother Chiquita] Andrews.
Demetrius must wear a protective mask and undergo painful, twice-daily burn scrubbing to his face and head. Treatment will last at least a year.
He ate his French toast with enthusiasm, but really perked up when asked about his favorite basketball team.
“Lebron James, come see me,” he piped up, looking hopefully into the camera. (Via WPBF)
With 11 games left in the season, I know that LeBron James and the Miami Heat are probably strictly focused on defending their NBA title, as they should be (and probably will). But with the No. 1 seed locked up, I don’t think it would be too hard for James to take a break on an off day and make this kid’s dream come true.
And I’m not saying that like, “LeBron’s a dick if he doesn’t do this.” Quite the contrary. If James responds by visiting this kid, he will break the entire Internet. It’s a win-win.
