Newtown Square Cancer Survivor Wins Shot Challenge At 76ers Game

NEWTOWN SQUARE, PA – A Newtown Square teen who beat cancer was given a chance of a lifetime at a recent Philadelphia 76ers game where he was challenged with hitting a lay up, free throw, three-point shot, and half court shot.

When he took the court, Mike Shelly, 17, of Newtown Square, showed up and completed the challenge, showing his resolve and winning some pretty great prizes.

Shelly was surprised by the team at Saturday's game against Golden State Warriors.

With a the eyes of sold-out crowd on him, the Delco teen cancer survivor hit all shots back to back, winning free Chick-Fil-A biscuits for the crowd, 76 Chick-Fil-A gift cards for himself, and a custom Markelle Fultz jersey.. But it didn't end there.

Shelly also won a trip to the Chick-Fil-A headquarters and tickets to Hawks game in March.

Shelly deserves these unique prizes, as he has overcome some hardships in his life even at such a young age.

According to the Philly Voice, he was diagnosed with stage IV Burkitt lymphoma when he was 14.

Shelly was cleared of the cancer a little more than a year ago, the Voice reports.

Then in August this year, his brother Andrew tragically died in a car crash.

"People see me out there before they know my story, and they're like, 'Wow, that kid just hit a big shot. That's so cool,'" Shelly told the Voice. "But after people and especially kids with pediatric cancer see [my story] – like, when I went through my whole treatment, it was really awesome to see kids who have gone through it do bigger things, or go on to play in the NFL like Eric Berry, who had cancer and now he plays in the NFL. Like, that was always a, 'Wow! This does get better; things do happen after cancer.' In the moment, it sucks. But if I was a kid in a hospital and saw that – another kid hitting a shot at the Sixers game – I'd be like, 'Wow, he's really enjoying himself.'"