This young Carey Price fan supported his idol
Do you remember Anderson Whitehead? About two and a half years ago, this young boy had the chance to meet his idol Carey Price, following the death of his mother to cancer. That meeting had taken place after the Canadiens' morning practice in February 2019.
This is everything � this young fan, Anderson, met his idol @CP0031, after his mother passed away due to cancer. She had promised him that she would do everything in her power to help the two meet and it happened. This right here is hockey. #OurGreatGame
(🎥 FB/ Tammy Whitehead) pic.twitter.com/ww6jLM2yoF� NHL (@NHL) March 1, 2019
This story was so talked about that the young Anderson finally got an invitation to the NHL Awards Gala at the end of the season, and was invited by Price himself to attend the All-Star Game the following season in St. Louis.
The Price and Whitehead families have kept in touch since then, so it was with great sadness that the young Anderson learned the news of Price's departure from the Hab's entourage for an indefinite period of time.
"I was a little surprised, to be honest," Anderson said by phone Friday from his home in Paris, Ontario. "But I really support him because he was able to get the help he needed before it got worse. So I think it's a good thing that he was the one who went to get help, because of all the people who might have needed help, he's the last one you can think of. I'm very supportive of the fact that he went to get help, because a lot of people need it."
Taking into account the difficulties Price is facing, Anderson's father, Kevin Whitehead, convinced his son, now 14, to send a message of support to his lifelong idol, which he did as soon as he could.
"He's been there for us for the last three years," Kevin told his son. "It's your turn now to step up and support him."
"I texted him to tell him that everyone goes through difficulties in life, that he can easily overcome his problems and that we are all behind him," Anderson, meanwhile, explained.
So what would Kevin say if he could talk to Price right now?
"Just tell him that we're all behind him and he's got and that he has a great family. I've read the whole story about how his wife, Angela, supports him," said Kevin. "I had to get help myself a year and a half ago. You can never be too big or too old. The fact that he's doing this as a public figure... By being in the spotlight, I hope it will help other less popular people feel comfortable going to get the help they need."
The moral of this beautiful story? Anyone can have problems, and it's important to reach out for help when you need it. Let's hope that Carey Price will come back in shape and in full possession when the time comes, much like his teammate Jonathan Drouin did in the last few weeks.
Source: Montreal Gazette
