When former President George H.W. Bush in 2013 learned the 2-year-old son of a Secret Service agent on his security detail was diagnosed with leukemia, he showed solidarity for the toddler by shaving his head along with his detail.
The Secret Service reshared the memory Tuesday on Twitter, a day before Bush's funeral at Washington National Cathedral.
"Everyone's #TuesdayThoughts are on President Bush & we wanted to share a memory," reads the tweet, along with a photo of Bush with the Patrick, the child.
"In '13, Timberwolf learned that the 2-year-old son of an agent on his detail was diagnosed with leukemia & the detail was going to shave their heads. You can see what happened, in classic 41 manner."
Timberwolf was Bush's nickname.
Bush was living in Kennebunkport, Maine, in the family's seaside home, when he learned Patrick had leukemia. He said shaving his head was an easy choice.
"When little Patrick got leukemia, a lot of the agents shaved their heads," Bush explained to his granddaughter Jenna Bush Hager on NBC's "Today" show at the time. "I said, 'Well, why not me?' It was the right thing to do."
"They're a wonderful group of people," Bush added. "They're like family with us."
The boy's family said in a statement to "Today" they were "humbled and honored by the support and generosity that President and Mrs. Bush and our Secret Service family have shown toward our son."
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