Family battling cancer is honored by traveling exhibition team
VANCOUVER — Adrian Reagan was a little shy at first.
There were so many people there, watching him, watching his brother, watching his mother. They were the center of attention at a press conference held in their honor.
Within a few minutes, Adrian was interacting with his new “teammates,” even doing a trick with a basketball.
His classmates cheered for him. They cheered for his twin brother, too.
Declan Reagan, in his mother’s arms for the ceremony, is battling cancer.
Wednesday morning, their classmates at Harmony Elementary School got to witness the Reagan brothers sign with the Harlem Wizards, a traveling basketball/entertainment group that raises funds for local communities.
The two 6-year-olds received plenty of swag, too, from the Wizards. There was a Declan “The Dinosaur” jersey and an Adrian the “A-Train” jersey. The Wizards also made jerseys for their parents, with the hashtag “ReaganStrong” on the back, and a “C” on the front, because they are the captains of this team.
Wednesday night, the family will be highlighted again as the Wizards take on staff members from Evergreen Public Schools at a charity event to raise money for Harmony’s Parent Teacher Association. The game is 7 p.m. at Union High School. Tickets at the door are $17 for general admission, $12 for students. The event promises to be a night of “trick hoops and alley oops.”
It will be yet another memory maker for the Reagan family, trying to gather as many special moments as they can during this difficult time. Declan is in hospice care after multiple battles with leukemia.
Adrian signed his “contract,” proudly wore Wizards glasses, and then got to help Dwayne “Swoop” Simpson spin a basketball.
Lauren Reagan thanked the Wizards for what they were doing for her sons.
Declan has spent 254 nights in a hospital the past two years, which means Adrian has gone a lot of nights without his mom at home.
“Adrian has had to make a lot of sacrifices,” she noted. “For Adrian to have his entire class chanting for him was really special.”
The Reagan family, she added, feels all the love from so many people as the family heads into its “darkest days.”
“The Harlem Wizards have gone above and beyond,” Lauren said, while also acknowledging the Harmony PTA. “To make such a special experience for my boys, I’m eternally grateful.”
The Wizards have four different traveling teams, playing all over the country, all over the world, in fact.
“This is what makes it all worth it. You can bring people together. People are smiling.,” Simpson said. “I can do something personal for a family. It doesn’t get no better than that, bro. We’re part of the community for one night. That’s priceless.”
Manu “The Magician” Ayer said he has his dream job, taking a sport he loves to make it a tool for good.
“We use basketball as a platform to bring communities together,” he said.
They also are always in search of new talent to spread joy and fun through basketball.
Wednesday morning, the Wizards added Adrian and Declan Reagan to their roster of love.
