INDIANAPOLIS — A Fishers family is heartbroken by the death of "Black Panther" star Chadwick Boseman.
The superhero and superstar was an inspiration to the Moreno family when they needed it most.
"Did he give you strength?" Tabitha asked 6-year-old son CJ.
"Yeah," he replied.
"Did he keep you strong?" she asked.
"Yeah," CJ answered.
When CJ was just 4 years old, he was in the middle of a life-or-death struggle with leukemia. The family was walking to the hospital cafeteria and got a huge surprise.
"I had to do a double take, like wait a minute that's the Black Panther," Tabitha said.
Chadwick Boseman in the flesh. In 2018, at the height of his stardom, the "Black Panther" movie was a huge hit.
"My heart was beating fast when I saw him, I will not lie." she said with a smile.
Dad and CJ's hearts jumped too.
"One of the most iconic superheroes in history," Carlos said.
"And the best moves," CJ added.
"He had some pretty good moves too," Carlos agreed.
But what impressed the Fishers family the most was the way Boseman moved through St. Jude's Hospital. He visited and encouraged kids fighting cancer.
"He was just so humble," Tabitha said. "He spoke and connected to every kid and every person that was near him."
All while the young actor was waging his own battle.
"He was going through cancer at the very same time," Carlos said. "Kinda trying to inspire kids and secretly going through cancer himself is just unbelievable."
"We hope he gained strength from meeting out kids who were going through the battle he was going through," Tabitha said.
CJ is slowly winning his battle. The now-6-year-old is in his third year of remission.
"To actually meet a real life superhero in the flesh, it gave us the strength to keep fighting," Tabitha said.
The Moreno family is helping to raise money for St. Jude's Hospital. A virtual walk is set for Sept. 26 with a goal to raise $55,000.