Tiger Woods has not made many public appearances since he was injured in a serious car crash back in February, but the 15-time major champion took some time out from his recovery this week to meet with a young girl who is battling cancer.
Luna Perrone, a 10-year-old who has a rare form of bone cancer called Ewing’s sarcoma, shared a photo on Instagram Monday that she took with Woods. The young girl said she received some advice from Tiger after bumping into him at a soccer event in Jupiter, Fla.
“I got to have a quick chat with @tigerwoods this weekend when I bumped into him at the soccer fields! He told me to ‘stay strong’ which has always been my goal! Stay strong physically and mentally and inspire others to do the same! No matter what you are going through YOU GOT THIS!!!” Perrone wrote.
As you can see, Tiger was on crutches and had his right leg wrapped.
Chris Perrone, Luna’s father, said the meeting happened by chance. He said his daughter is “always achieving excellence in anything she does.”
“Support from the community, from anyone, especially from an icon like that makes you proud, makes you humble, too,” Chris Perrone said, via Gary Detman of CBS12 in Florida. “People so revered in the world are real people and have real feelings and step up when they see a kid who may not be doing well. It made me happy.”
Woods suffered severe leg injuries in his February crash, and it’s unclear when he might be able to play again. He shared a photo of himself last month on the golf course with his dog, which you can see here.
Perrone was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma in January. She has a tumor that is too large to remove, and her father says her family does everything they can to make sure she stays active and strong. Her outlook given the circumstances is nothing shy of remarkable.
