wanting to help us that it felt like a whirlwind. I cannot say enough about all the local high schools and travel ball teams that hosted charity games, pulled pork dinners, pancake breakfasts, and fund- raiser after fundraiser to help our family. A local group of motorcycle work with at Zimmer Communications have been beyond generous, caring, and super supportive. We were being shown so much love from people we’d never even
- teen radiothons for the Children’s Hospital, and I’ve seen millions of dollars pour in from this community. Now, we were on the receiving end. It was wonderful knowing that so many people wanted to join us
Brooklyn:
came on, she was able to beat it down. No surprise there. We have her head, do two plus years of high school online, rebuild her body, and this past summer, she had to quit playing ball altogether. would have handled chemotherapy if not for being in such phenom-
herself, and she’s discovered so many new things that she’s pas-
68 /// November 2024
769 Days. 25 Months. 18,464 hours. 1,107,871 minutes. 22 lumbar punctures. One surgery down. One to go. Terrible neuropathy, so much so that I had to learn to walk again. I’ve spent over a month in-patient in the hospital. These are the days, months, hours, min- utes, and things I’ve dealt with since I was told, “You have cancer.” years that I would be sitting in that room, babies crying in the back- ground, holding my mom’s hand, and having those doctors give me the absolute worst-case scenario for my situation. - toms. I began to blame softball for causing the pain in my bones, that was cancer. And so, as I’ve learned to live in this ‘new normal’, I’ve also learned to love softball again. I’ve learned to never take a swing, a throw, a chant, or even tying my cleats for granted. I still after long tournaments, and it makes me sad. Not just sad for me, but sad for them – because they have no idea how much this game really means until it is gone. When I take a step back, I see the mountain I have overcome, the opportunities I’ve been given because of my diagnosis, and I’ve seen how my story has changed people for the better, including myself. I’ve become stronger than I ever thought I could in my faith. I’ve My faith has become incredibly strong. A verse that I’ve continued to share with people throughout my journey is Psalms 23:4. “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, know that He is with me through it all, protecting me until I can emerge from the darkness into the light. tell me that I had cancer, I will never let that stop me from doing anything that I love. I will never let it hold me back, because I can choose to stay happy and live my days to the fullest. And you just never know when you might run out of days. I will forever hold the greatest gratitude for those who have sur- rounded me, prayed over me, and have done so many other things
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