Boy Battling Leukemia Named Honorary La Roche College Soccer Captain

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MCCANDLESS (KDKA) -- A 6-year-old boy battling leukemia served as honorary captain for the La Roche College men's soccer team Saturday.

This was Leo Zambori's second time as La Roche soccer's honorary captain. He first met the La Roche men's soccer team when they visited Children's Hospital for a "Cuddles For Kids" nonprofit event back in April 2016.

Junior midfielder Conner Hagins founded "Cuddles For Kids." The organization has donated about $500,000 worth of goods to children's agencies around the world.

"Leo is an excited 6-year-old boy who has changed my life. He is the biggest Redhawk soccer fan we have and wears his La Roche gear with great pride," Hagins said in a release.

Hagins and the soccer team also put together a T-shirt fundraiser in Leo's honor. Later this month, the soccer team and Leo will deliver the proceeds to the Children's Hospital oncology department, where Leo receives chemotherapy treatments. They will also distribute Halloween activity bags.

"It just shows us what it means to be young and go through this type of thing," Hagins said, "and there's a lot of adversity with it, so just for my coaches and my other teammates just to take this under their wing is incredible."