CAITLIN Passey has fulfilled her life’s dream of meeting England hero Harry Kane and being Spurs’ mascot for the day – thanks to The Sun on Sunday.
The brave eight-year-old, who has the rare Juvenile Batten Disease, held the striker’s hand as they walked onto the pitch at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium together.
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Schoolgirl Caitlin was shaking in her boots as she was greeted by the booming crowd of 61,000 sold out.
But she rallied and cheered on Spurs as they beat Everton 2-0 with her idol Harry, 29, firing in the first goal.
In an exclusive interview, her father Nick Passey, 38, said: “It was a dream come true for Caitlin and I can’t thank Tottenham Hotspur and the Sun enough on Sunday.
“She’s wanted to be a Spurs mascot since she saw her first game four years ago, so that was huge for her.
“We couldn’t believe it when we found out she would be walking the pitch with Harry.
“He’s her hero and her favorite player and he was so nice to her.
“Caitlin said he was talking to her in the tunnel before the game and was really nice, but she was so nervous she couldn’t speak.
“When they came out on the pitch she said she had real butterflies because the crowd was so loud and she had never experienced anything like this before.
“But she was buzzing afterwards. She loved meeting the players and had them all sign her shirt, which we plan to have framed so we can hang it on the wall.
“And Caitlin is now convinced she is Harry’s lucky charm because he scored and the team won.”
The Sun helped Caitlin meet Harry on Sunday after her parents gave us her wish list before she went blind and succumbed to childhood dementia.
These are two key symptoms of Batten which only affects 25-40 children in the UK and kills most by the time they reach their twenties.
We’ve already flown Caitlin to Germany to meet singer Ed Sheeran, helped deliver Harry Potter memorabilia to decorate her bedroom courtesy of Warner Bros Studios, and an inflatable hot tub courtesy of Lay-Z -Spa.
Underlining how much of a race against time she is, Caitlin had to watch the October 15 clash against Everton from the North Stand with binoculars.
Her father added: “His vision is deteriorating. It’s hard to say how much, but we noticed she started tripping over things in front of her when she walked.
“Also, sometimes at home, she starts screaming for us when we’re right next to her.
“She recently met another child with Batten who is nine and already completely blind and she asked, ‘Am I going to be like this?
“It’s heartbreaking but we had to admit that she will.
“The good news is that she had her first braille lesson last week, which was amazing as she had previously refused.
“I think reality sets in and she loves to read and is afraid of losing that ability.”
The Sun on Sunday is now calling on YOU, our army of readers, to support raising £200,000 to adapt Caitlin’s home in Over, Cambridgeshire, to meet her unique needs.
She needs a specially designed bedroom to enable her to continue living at home while illness brings her home and so far only £44,000 has been raised.
To donate, go to: https://www.gofundme.com/f/SafeHaven4Caitlin
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