Houston Rockets forward Chandler Parsons has decided to shave his head to show solidarity with a 10-year-old cancer patient he recently befriended.
According to USA TODAY, the third-year forward become fast friends with Patrick Hobbs DeClaire more than a year ago, after he and teammates Jeremy Lin, James Harden and Dwight Howard met the boy while he was undergoing several rounds of chemotherapy for Stage 4 Neuroblastoma, a form of cancer that attacks the autonomous nervous system.
The newspaper reports the Rockets' players became acquainted with the boy after team CEO Tad Brown made them aware of his plight after meeting his father, who was seeking a morale boost for his son.
"The kid is so strong and so brave," Parsons told USA TODAY. "Here I am going to see a podiatrist for an ingrown toenail and this kid is battling for his life. How he handles it is incredible. He is more worried about not looking like his twin brother anymore, so me being his favorite player, I decided to shave my head to look more like him and hopefully give him some support and encouragement from me."
The newspaper reports Parsons didn't tell the boy he was going to cut his hair, but did alert his parents to keep an eye out for him during their Christmas Day game against the San Antonio Spurs.
"It will be a nice Christmas surprise for him. He has a lot of support out there from me and the Rockets."
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