David Ortiz meets Maverick, the young fan he promised a home run

One message and one promise fulfilled has created a bond that will stand the test of time.

On April 29, Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz joined former teammate Kevin Millar in sending a message to Maverick Schutte, a six-year-old fan from Cheyenne, Wyo. who is battling a heart defect and lung disease.

[Related: David Ortiz delivers on promise to sick child with home run]

In that message, Ortiz promised to hit a home run for Maverick in that night's game against the New York Yankees.

Not only did Ortiz come through, he launched a two-run home run in the eighth inning that proved to be the game-winner against Yankees superstar reliever Dellin Betances.

That's how the bond was formed. On Wednesday at Fenway Park, the bond grew to include the entire Red Sox organization and the entire city of Boston, as Maverick and his family were welcomed to town.

That led to several heart-warming images, such as that seen above.

In addition to finally meeting Ortiz in person, Maverick got to spend time with several of Ortiz's teammates, he got to throw out the game's first pitch, and in the very first inning, he received a foul ball off the bat of Dustin Pedroia.

That will no doubt make his friends and even some grown adults back home pretty jealous.

According to Maverick's mother, Marti Linnane, it was Kevin Millar who again stepped up and made sure Wednesday night happened for her young son. She also noted her son will soon undergo heart surgery, but said the stresses of his ailments seemed to disappear once he was on the field with his heroes.

"An experience of a lifetime to come up here," Linnane told MLB.com. "It's like a fairy tale for a mom. For Maverick, it's just amazing. He's beyond overjoyed. He's so happy. He said it's the best day of his life every time we do anything with the Red Sox. As soon as he hit the field today, he said, 'I can't believe I'm in Fenway.' It's so fun."

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"He's been smiling the whole time he's been here," Ortiz add. "We're talking about a boy who is 6 years old — he's been through hell. Thirty-something surgeries at the age of six. He's a hero. You're always talking about superheroes. He's a hero. He's been able to get through all the tough times."

Maverick has been through more than any young child should have to deal with, but his strength and his positive attitude are something that should inspire all of us to have fun and to take in the moments, because they're all special in their own way.

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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813