Having the chance to meet your sporting hero is always a thrill for any fan, and for East Vancouver’s Siobhan Bostock, that dream became reality at BC Place last week.
A day before the international friendly between Vancouver Whitecaps and Los Angeles Galaxy, eight-year-old Siobhan was given the opportunity of a private meeting with the Galaxy’s star midfielder David Beckham. Along with her brother Rowan and her parents, Siobhan presented the former England captain with a drawn picture and had her Galaxy jersey autographed by the star midfielder.
The meeting with the former Manchester United and Real Madrid player was a ‘once in a lifetime’ experience for Siobhan and her family. “There was a lot of excitement in our house before the meeting,” Siobhan’s mother, Jackie Bostock, told whitecapsfc.com. “We only found out the Friday before, so I didn’t have the chance to tell too many of our family or friends about it. He seems to be like a regular type of guy and it’s really nice of him to do this for the kids.”
Siobhan’s meeting with Beckham was made possible through the Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation of Canada. The non-profit organization helps seriously ill children have the chance to live out their fantasies. Jackie Bostock described how keen Siobhan was to meet Beckham. “She said to Starlight Starbright in the summer that she wanted to marry Beckham, but we were able to talk here out of that wish,” her mother jokingly said. “Yet, as we are a big soccer family, they made this wish come true, so we are very thankful to them.”
Unlike a lot of kids her age, Siobhan is unable to play her favourite sport of soccer because of her illness. The youngster suffers from a condition called Marfan syndrome - a connective-tissue disorder in which her ligaments are too weak to support her body. “Right now, she has three metal rods in her back, and she is not allowed to play any contact sport,” Jackie said. “It was a hard thing for her, as we are a family that is big on soccer.”
Though she may not share the enjoyment of being able to play soccer, Siobhan and her family are sure to remember their private meeting with one of world soccer’s big stars in Beckham.
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for more information on the Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation of Canada and its programs for seriously ill children and their families.
