Casually Kristen

DENVER, Colorado – On Thursday, 500,000 people crammed into downtown Denver to celebrate the Colorado Avalanche Stanley Cup victory with a huge parade. Among the crowd were superfans from all over the state… but arguably, a few of the sweetest fans came from the LeBleu family. 

I happened to meet them when I was covering the parade with FOX31 all morning, and fate stepped in when I interviewed the family live on air.

To the LeBleu’s, who have three kids, experiencing the parade together meant even more than celebrating a monumental moment in sports.

In 2015, then 2-year-old Braedi LeBleu was diagnosed with high-risk leukemia.

Braedi was receiving treatment at the Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children, which connected her family with Hockey Meets Cancer through the American Cancer Society.

Through that organization, Braedi got to skate with the Colorado Avalanche team multiple times, forming a bond with several players, including Cale Makar and Gabe Landeskog.

Braedi shared, “They just gave me confidence and made me have fun.”

Braedi, now nine years old, will officially be cancer-free next month.

Her mom, Bailey, teared up when saying, “As a parent, watching your child fight for their life is just something you can’t explain. This is a very special summer for us, so it’s just the icing on the cake to have the Stanley Cup as well.”

A Stanley Cup win and cancer-free diagnosis the same year, within one season– Now THAT’S what Feel Good Friday is all about!