Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown Make Feelings Clear Over Celtics Initiative After Tragic Loss of Loved One

Last night wasn’t easy for the Boston Celtics at the TD Garden. Jayson Tatum & Co. took on the in-form Houston Rockets and suffered a stinging loss in the last second. The fans and Celts’ players didn’t leave the arena with a heavy heart not only for the defeat but also witnessed a heartwarming event where the Celtics honored the team’s former vice president of public relations, Heather Walker, who died from brain cancer in 2023.

Walker suffered from glioblastoma, a rare tumor that had taken the lives of John McCain, Sen. Ted Kennedy, and former President Joe Biden’s son, Beau. She bravely fought cancer for a year until she the battle in April 2023. Most importantly, Heather didn’t walk away without a fight. She raised $750,000 through her campaign ‘Move 4 Heather‘ to find a cure for the rare disease. This fund will be utilized by the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation for the research.

The team invited Heather’s husband, Stephen Walker, Stephanie Vail, Heather Walker’s oncology nurse, and her 8-year-old Declan, who is having his own battle with a brain tumor, and paid tribute to Walker in their presence. Following the game, reporters didn’t fail to get reactions from Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who have had close association with Walker since they moved to Boston.

“First person I had a lobster roll with,” said Jayson Tatum, speaking of Heather. After lauding the team’s effort to commemorate her, JT further added, “Heather was somebody that was special to the community and the organization and somebody I spent a lot of time with especially when I first got drafted and introduced into to Celtics and the City of Boston.” 

Similarly, Jaylen Brown also shared an emotional statement, speaking of her. He said, “We had a lot of great times… it’s unfortunate that things happen like that.” At the same time, he lauded the franchise’s efforts to pay tribute to her, “It’s great that the Celtics took the four steps to commemorate her because she was great.” 

Apart from Jayson Tatum & Co., Walker’s family left TD Garden on an emotion-filled night

Heather Walker’s husband, Stephen, picked up the mic and emotionally hijacked everyone with his speech. Speaking about her, he said, “She had a way about her, walking into a room and making everybody feel at ease. I miss her a lot.” Heather had associated with the team in many ways and had traveled with the team during its highs and lows.

The team even honored her by naming the press room after Heather. “It’s incredible, every picture, she smiles, and that’s her, and it was always a smile on her face, no matter what,” said Stephen further about his diseased wife. Moreover, looking at Declan, the brave boy, who is battling the cancer head-on, reminded him of Heather, said Ste. And speaking to the boy, he added, “Just fight. Don’t give up hope.” 

On the other end, Declan’s mother, Stephanie Vail, further said, “It’s hard… When [he was] diagnosed, we didn’t want this to bring our family down.” It was indeed a hard night for the Celtics fans at the arena. A win against the Rockets could have turned into a wholesome day. Nevertheless, it is what it is. What do you make of it? Let us know in the comments.