Invited onto the parquet floor at the Amway Center to initiate the pregame introductions before a recent game, super fan Sammy Mangual Jr. and 15-year-old Isaiah Bozza were excitedly sharing the court with some of their Orlando Magic heroes.
As for Isaiah's mother, Marielle Bozza, her hero down on the court was also wearing a pinstriped Magic jersey, but he wasn't getting ready to play in that night's game.
"I always tell people that I gave birth to my hero," Marielle said of her son. "Isaiah has always been my hero for the way he battles through everything and stays so positive.''
Incredibly, Isaiah has endured 23 brain surgeries over the last six years while battling an incurable form of cancer that has repeatedly returned to his brain. The native of nearby Melbourne has shown great resilience in bouncing back, continuing to even play basketball within weeks of each surgery. But the latest surgery on July 31 caused him to have a stroke two days later that left the teenager paralyzed on the left side of his body.
While the after-effects from the surgery and stroke took away Isaiah's ability to play basketball -- the sport that he's loved for years -- it hasn't slowed down his passion as a faithful fan of the Magic. Because he must make the trek from Brevard County to Orlando at least three times a week for therapy and doctor's visits, Isaiah usually gets to attend a game a week to see his beloved Magic play.
How devoted are Mangual Jr. and Isaiah to following the Magic? The family purposefully scheduled three doctors' appointments early in the day on Oct. 30 so they could arrive at the Amway Center in time for Fan Fest and the home-opener. It was then that Mangual and Isaiah got to live out a life-long dream by walking onto the floor and screaming, "It's Magic time ... in five ... four ... three ... two ... one ... Gooooooo Magic!!!"
"It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me and Isaiah both,'' said Mangual Jr., who has "PURE MAGIC" carved into his hair and was wearing a blue "MAGIC MAN" blazer outfitted with blinking lights. "The feedback that I got back when (the introduction video) was posted on different social media sites, it was amazing. The fans were telling us that we're lucky and I felt blessed. Who thinks that will ever happen to them?
"We felt like we were a part of history because this is a new era and a new season for the Magic," Sammy continued. "It was more than we ever thought it could be."
Isaiah's passion for the Magic and his resilience in fighting through cancer was so impressive that the franchise invited him back to the Amway Center recently so that he take in another game from courtside seats. Isaiah, who cried in 2004 when Orlando traded Tracy McGrady to the Houston Rockets, also got a thrill when he got to meet his new favorite player -- Magic rookie point guard Elfrid Payton.
"After all that Isaiah has been through, if I can just bring a smile to his face, then it's a blessing," Payton said seconds after autographing Sammy's jacket and posing for a picture with the teenager.
While Payton recently offered encouragement, Isaiah is usually the one trying to cheer up others around him. He has spoken to several cancer patients and convinced them that if he can keep fighting through 23 surgeries that they can do the same in the fight against the deadly disease.
"I try to tell them not to be afraid," Isaiah said. "Even some adults have told me that I am their hero. During radiation, I met a lady named Karen who had breast cancer and to this day she says that I am her hero and that gave her the inspiration to fight breast cancer.''
'I'M NOT MAD AT GOD AT ALL'
Isaiah and his family got the devastating news on Sept. 18, 2009 that the then-10-year-old boy had a brain tumor. As if that wasn't shocking enough, the family had no idea what would come next as the tumor on Isaiah's brain would continue to return again and again. Because of that, he has had to endure nearly two dozen surgical procedures and hundreds of rounds of chemotherapy and radiation.
"He had the first surgery and then he had the surgery and he had another surgery," mother Marielle said incredulously. "Nobody ever thought that he would have to keep going through this. He's the only case that they know of to have this, but he's lived a completely normal life. We just never thought this last surgery would be like this with the stroke."
As a small child, Isaiah's favorite player was Nick Anderson, who he has since gotten to meet. Later, Isaiah purchased both the home white and road blue replica jerseys for McGrady, a four-time All-Star and a two-time scoring champion during his time in Orlando from 2000-04. McGrady was traded by the Magic to Houston in 2004 -- not long after the night that he scored 62 points against the Washington Wizards -- and Isaiah was devastated by the news.
When Sammy told him that former GM John Weisbrod traded McGrady to Houston for Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley and Kelvin Cato, Isaiah burst into tears.
He eventually got over the trade and his faith in the Magic never wavered. The same can be said for Isaiah's belief that he will someday beat cancer and attend Duke University to pursue either a degree in Sports Medicine or Broadcasting.
"Isaiah is the most faithful person that I know," Marielle raved. "He never goes into surgery scared at all. I'm scared all of the time and he's never scared. "He inspires others with brain tumors and brain cancer," Marielle continued. "He'll always tell people, 'I'm not mad at God at all.' He knows there are things that he's gotten to do and people he's gotten to meet because of this, but he's never been angry ever. Right now, he's only upset that he can't play basketball. So anytime we're in Orlando, he wants to make sure we get to go to the Magic games. Basketball is his biggest outlet."
LOVE OF THE GAME, LOVE OF THE MAGIC
How much does Isaiah live, breathe and think the game of basketball? Listen to Sammy "Magic Man" Mangual Jr. tell it and it seems as though basketball is the one thing that drives the teen to keep battling through all of the surgeries and complications caused by the recurring brain tumors.
"What kid do you know who has brain surgery on Thursday and then on Monday he starts playing basketball? He's out there playing high school basketball!!! It's crazy what the sport of basketball means to him. He just loves it more than anything in the world."
That devotion carries certainly over to the Magic where Isaiah reads stories about players, learns details about them and even practices their on-court handshakes with his brother, 10-year-old Jaiyden.
Sammy said that Isaiah is a marvel to watch games with on FOX Sports Florida because he picks up things that he often misses. Because he has played the game for years while growing up, Isaiah can read players' body language, he sees injuries and loves studying how Magic players get free for dunks or open shots.
"He plays the game and he sees a lot of things that I don't see. He remembers all of the handshakes. We could have come to games 50,000 times and he remembers the littlest things from games," Sammy marveled. "He sees a lot of the details in the games and points it out to me. I think that keeps him entertained. He doesn't have a lot of friends at home as it is because of his condition. But when he comes here to the Amway Center for a Magic game it doesn't matter."
A lot of times when Isaiah attends Magic games it comes on the heels of a hospital visit after he's had doctor visits, radiation or physical therapy. Such a routine would tire out most people, but not Isaiah, who always perks up upon walking into the Amway Center and hanging over the rails to get autographs from his Magic heroes.
"Because the hospital rooms are so closed off from everybody else, coming to Magic games just makes it a brighter day for Isaiah. It's night and day, really, his mood as soon as we come into here for a game," Sammy said. "We sit and talk during the whole game and it's great. A lot of times it's just about having all of the family together and win or lose we always have fun at the Magic games."
Sammy had fed Isaiah's passion for the Magic by wildly decorating his vehicle with Magic logos and flying a Magic team flag out in front of the family home. And when he had "PURE MAGIC" carved into his hair, it even shocked Isaiah with the dedication to their favorite team.
"Usually he's the one who complains about those crazy haircuts," Isaiah said incredulously. "It took him three hours to get that haircut. I was shocked. I went and got my phone and took a picture right away."
Isaiah said he draws strength and inspiration from the Magic, but it's actually the others around the resilient teenager who marvel at his toughness and ability to stay positive despite his trying circumstances. Sadly, doctors say there is no cure for the tumors that keeps returning and the family worries about Isaiah because his motor skills seem to deteriorate with each surgery. But they want him to be able to keep coming to Magic games as long as he is healthy enough and they support his undying passion to the sport of basketball.
"Isaiah's dream is to become a sports commentator. He wants to go to Duke University and study either (broadcasting) or sports medicine. He's an extremely smart kid and we just hope he gets a chance to chase his dreams," Marielle said. "Basketball is his only outlet. His all-time favorite player is Nick Anderson and his favorites now are Victor Oladipo, Derrick Rose and Kevin Durant and he's looking at Tobias Harris. He wants to see how all of these young players with the Magic develop. And we want him to keep enjoying it as much as he can."
