Clippers make cancer patient Robbie Stanford’s wish come true

Robbie Stanford, 54, was diagnosed with leukemia during a routine physical about 15 years ago. Now in the final stages of his cancer, one of his unfulfilled wishes was to attend a Clippers game.

On Friday, the Clippers brought Stanford and his two children to practice to meet all the players.

“I’m a big fan of the Clippers and a dream of mine was to take my son to one of the games,” Stanford said Friday. “I never knew I was going to get invited to practice and actually get to meet the guys, so this has been just an amazing experience.”

Stanford sat on a chair at the beginning of practice next to his family as each of the players and coaches individually introduced themselves to him and chatted with him for a few moments. He will also attend Saturday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans.

“He’s inspiring to us, he really is,” Jamal Crawford said, adding, “It puts everything into perspective.”

After Stanford received his cancer diagnosis, he and his wife struggled to find a child care facility that they could afford and that offered the flexibility they needed for his chemotherapy treatments.

Ten years ago, Stanford and his wife, Jade, took matters into their own hands and founded Village Tree Pre School in Culver City, the nation’s only daycare to offer free care for children with chronically ill parents.

“Every day that we help families is a gift,” Stanford said as he fought back tears.

On Friday, Stanford did layup drills with Chris Paul. He joked around with J.J. Redick and Blake Griffin. And he told Crawford that the reigning sixth man of the year was his hero.

“Fifteen years is a long time to get through a lot of the emotion and the things that go along with that,” he said. “Now I focus on my family and every day is a holiday.”

Follow Melissa Rohlin on Twitter @melissarohlin