Sunday, May 11, 2008
Sports, "Hunt's Grunts"
Live Strong For Us All
Last week at the ballpark was a time for a different kind of treatment
John Smoltz and friends at the Aflac Cancer Center event at Turner Field last week.
By Hunt Archbold
It was another picture perfect spring night at the ballpark last week at Turner Field. All the sights, sounds and smells of the great American pastime were on full display, and the hometown nine pushed across a few late inning runs to dispatch San Diego for Atlanta’s fifth straight win. And yet as I left with the multitudes of able-bodied fans, all I could think about were those 20 kids from the Aflac Cancer Center I’d seen several hours earlier. What was next in store for them?
Located at both Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston and Scottish Rite, the Aflac Cancer Center is recognized as one of the nation’s top childhood cancer centers in the country, treating nearly 350 new cancer patients each year and following more than 2,000 patients with sickle cell disease, hemophilia and other blood disorders. Utilizing groundbreaking pediatric research and state-of-the-art equipment, the Center’s men and women are truly making an impact on the cure and the overall survival rates of their patients.
But last week at the ballpark was a time for a different kind of treatment, of the emotional variety. On this beautiful spring night, it came in the forms of Braves stars John Smoltz and Jeff Francoeur, who joined a pre-game party to meet, greet, sign autographs, give hugs and share smiles with the children and their families. Afterwards, those invited stayed and watched the Braves’ victory. For this night, unlike the majority of others, they got the opportunity to simply enjoy a night at the ballpark and be normal.
“Hopefully we can bring a little joy to their lives,’’ Francoeur told me as the event was winding down. “Anytime I get a chance to see these kids, either here or at the hospital, it’s just incredible. For me, they put more joy in my life than we could ever do for them.’’
Seeing the smile on one boy’s face as he squeezes his arms around Smoltz’s waist makes it difficult to believe that the star baseball players derive more joy than their new adolescent friends. But then, I see another young boy, his head shaven, his chemotherapy-weakened body sitting almost motionless in his wheelchair, his family staring out into nothingness as plates of overcooked hamburgers and potato chips go uneaten. It’s not hard then to imagine what kind of a nightmare cancer is. Lymphoma. Brain cancer. Bone cancer. We live in a world where one man can strike out more than 3,000 batters and play baseball among the best in the world well into his early 40s, while a 5-year-old girl and her family must endure the dark, painful and lonely days and nights that come with leukemia.
“For me, it’s like it says in the Bible,’’ Francoeur says, referring to a verse in the book of Luke. “’Much is given, much is asked for.’’’
Like many athletes, Francoeur practices what he preaches. Sports pages are filled with stories of athletes and their sullied ways, littering the police blotter with acts of stupidity and selfishness. But there is goodness in our sports heroes, too. Last month at the University of Virginia, standout basketball player Sean Singletary was among the school’s Student Athlete Mentors (SAMs) who held a fundraising event for leukemia research. Next month, the Mario Lemieux Foundation, which recently gave a $2 million gift to the Children’s Home of Pittsburgh, will hold its 8th annual celebrity golf tournament to raise funds for cancer and neonatal research.
Less than two years ago, the Jeff Gordon Foundation, which supports children facing life-threatening and chronic illnesses, was the driving force behind a new children’s hospital with 33 beds, including five in a specialized pediatric intensive care unit, in the Concord, N.C. area. Former tennis champ Andrea Jaeger founded the Little Star Foundation in 1990, and for almost two decades it’s brought long-term care and lifetime opportunities to children with cancer and children in need worldwide. And in August, for the 14th year, Smoltz, Francoeur and Tim Hudson will host a celebrity golf tournament to benefit the Aflac Cancer Center.
Of course, cancer isn’t only for kids. Statistics say 1.4 million Americans are expected to be diagnosed with cancer and 560,000 to die from it this year alone. Nearly one in two men and one in three women will develop cancer during their lifetime. We all have been or will be touched in some way by this disease that shows no prejudice. As I write this, I personally know of at least a half-dozen women battling breast cancer, including a close first cousin who is currently enduring the physical and emotional pain of a double mastectomy. I still greatly miss my friend, classmate and teammate Arthur Griffith, who succumbed to testicular cancer more than eight years ago. Some of you reading this will never forget Arthur, but what would you give to hear his infectious laugh again?
Cycling champion Lance Armstrong had testicular cancer, and he beat it. But he didn’t stop there. Over the last 11 years, the Lance Armstrong Foundation has raised more than $250 million for the fight against cancer. This Tuesday, May 13, is LIVESTRONG Day 2008, the foundation’s one-day initiative to raise awareness and funds for the cancer fight. I challenge you to think how you might help in this battle—and whom you might help. It very well might be yourself one day. This is a calling to us all, and when I think about that, my mind keeps going back to those kids at the ballpark, those sweet little children who deserve a better life.
Happy times … and Live Strong!