8-year-old with cancer gets Christmas wish to meet Tom Brady

BETHEL, ME -- A Maine 8-year-old battling leukemia got her Christmas wish to meet New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

The Lewiston Sun Journal reports that Hailey Steward, of Bethel, received a video invitation from Brady on Christmas Day, asking her to visit him Saturday at Patriot Place in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

Thousands of well-wishers follow Hailey's Facebook page, "Hailey's Journey Our Journey," and relayed her wish across the Internet.

The vice president of media relations for the Patriots said Hailey and her parents were given a tour of Patriot Place, the shopping center built around Gillette Stadium. There they met Brady, took pictures and got hugs.

Hailey's father, John Steward, posted on his daughter's Facebook group page that it was "awesome" that Brady recognized his daughter's strength and determination.