A teacher, a janitor, and a team: Rallying behind an 8-year-old's fight

It was an act of kindness that all started with a social media video, using the platform to create a life-changing experience.

“He was rocking the Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shirt,” said Edmond Central Middle School teacher Jonathan Kerby.

The TikTok video that Kerby posted quickly went viral.

“After five hours over it blew up into five hundred people, the next day, over a thousand people commented on it,” said Kerby.

In the post, Kerby talked about the school janitor Kenneth Brothers, whose great-grandson, Kassen, is a huge Thunder fan and is battling Leukemia. The post did get the attention of the Thunder organization, prompting a phone call.

“We have the vice president of the Oklahoma City Thunder calling me. I was like, this thing is blowing up too much, I didn’t even expect that to happen,” said Kerby. 

Reps from the Thunder organization showed up at the school, surprising Mr. Brothers with Thunder swag and tickets to Sunday’s sold-out game.

“I just want him to have fun and enjoy himself. Today is all about him,” said Kenneth Brothers.

“This is my very first Thunder game,” said eight-year-old Kassen.

After getting the necessary popcorn, the two headed to their seats, ready to cheer on their team.

It became obvious how special this eight-year-old is when the couple sitting below surprised him with an SGA jersey, even Rumble took time away from hyping the crowd to meet him.

“You know he’s an eight-year-old kid. He’s a kid and he just wants to be a kid,” said Brothers.

And as the team won the game, making it to the conference finals, it was a moment these two will never forget.

Kassen goes into the hospital next month for a bone marrow transplant from his mother. The family has set up a GoFundMe to help with the expenses. Click here to support.