Actor Chris Evans sent a heartfelt message to the family of a young San Antonio boy who lost his battle with cancer.
Damon Billeck, 13, passed away on Tuesday. Evans had been in touch with Damon through social media after he found out that his favourite superhero was Captain America.
“Damon had the kind of strength I only pretend to have on screen,” Evans, 36, wrote on Twitter. “He was a true warrior. Brave, selfless, compassionate, and proud. I feel so grateful for his friendship. Sending all my love to you and your family, Brian.”
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Damon’s dad, Brian, announced the news of his son’s passing on April 3.
“Damon lost his battle with Cancer at 11:26am. Thank you for the Love, prayers & support everyone!” he wrote on Twitter.
He also gave a shout-out to Evans, Jeremy Renner and Mark Ruffalo for their support, Brian added, “Damon was the TRUE embodiment of Captain America.”
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In January, Brian posted a video of Damon wishing Evans good luck after reading a story on People that said the actor was appearing in the Broadway play Lobby Hero.
“I’m laughing so hard,” Brian wrote. “Damon saw the @people article about Lobby Hero @2STNYC. He has some thoughts on Chris’s new look. We are so coming to NY to see the play!!”
Evans even responded to the tweet, writing, “So happy for you pal. You’re the real life Captain America!! And thanks for wishing me luck buddy!!!”
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Evans and Damon had kept in touch since last year when Evans reached out on social media.
“Chris Evans (a.k.a. Captain America) sent him a private message via Twitter,” his parents wrote on GoFundMe. “Won’t go into detail because Chris and Damon can have their own conversations. But it was wonderful Chris took the time to message Damon several times to see how he was.”
Evans has previously spent time with young fans who suffered from serious medical conditions.
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In March, Evans was quick to respond to a social media plea from Fox News personality Shannon Bream trying to fulfil a request from an unidentified terminally ill child to meet with a superhero.
The tweet went viral and about 20,000 retweets later, Evans responded and said, “Happy to! DM me.”