California boy with rare disorder gets unforgettable birthday surprise from basketball community

By Itay Hod

Three-year-old Leo Davies of San Anselmo loves basketball. Though “love” might not be a big enough word.

Put a game on television, and he’ll sit there, completely captivated. His parents aren’t exactly sure why, and Leo can’t tell them.

“Leo’s first three years of life have largely been in the hospital, in surgeries, in therapies,” said Cassie Davies, Leo’s mom.

Leo was born with a rare chromosome disorder, missing genes that left him with a cleft palate, multiple surgeries and developmental challenges that have made nearly every milestone harder to reach.

He has only a few words. Mostly, his smile does the talking.

Because so much of his childhood has been spent in hospitals instead of playgrounds, Leo doesn’t have many friends his own age.

“When it came to planning his third birthday party, I just asked myself: what would make him happiest on his birthday? And it’s watching people play basketball,” Cassie said.

So, she opened the Nextdoor app and posted an unusual request: Would anyone be willing to come play a pickup game simply so her little boy could watch?

She wasn’t sure if anyone would respond, but she figured it was worth a shot.

“Within minutes, it was just all these comments, direct messages, people hearting, sharing. Within the first 48 hours, 32,000 people viewed it,” Cassie said.

That brings us to Leo’s birthday. One by one, people started showing up — complete strangers, including the entire Tam High basketball team.

Henry Bennett, captain of the Tamalpais High School Hawks, said his mom had seen the post and urged them to play.

“Just knowing us doing something so little means so much for a kid like him,” Bennett said.

By the end, more than 50 people had come to celebrate. The Hawks gave Leo a signed basketball. The Golden State Valkyries — one of his favorite teams — heard about the game and sent gifts of their own, which included a customized team jersey with his name on it. 

But none of that turned out to be the biggest surprise. As the team gathered around Leo to sing “Happy Birthday,” the little boy with so few words suddenly found three new ones.

“I love it,” Leo said.