“When Life throws you a curve ball, grab a bat and swing.”
“Life will always throw you curve balls, just keep fouling them off. The right pitch will come, and when it does, be prepared to run the bases.”
“Swing for the fences.”
“Every strike brings me closer to the next homerun.” – Babe Ruth
“Live life like a 3-1 count.”
Baseball has some of the most awesome quotes.
I am a baseball mom. My son just finished his sophomore year in high school, but he has been a player since his t-ball days at the local YMCA, which means he has played the game for about 10 years. I have spent countless hours in baseball fields all over the county. I have sat outside in freezing cold rain and sweltering heat. And that was just as a spectator. My son has stood on the field in those same extremes, yet, I love it. I understand why baseball is so dear to Americans.
As my son’s season is ending, I started thinking about how cancer and baseball had some similarities. Cancer is like a curve ball in life. We swing for the fences to find a cure. Each and every patient picks up a bat to hit cancer out of the park. But just like baseball, cancer is unpredictable and challenging. And when you step up to the plate, it’s you alone against that baseball.
Cancer is a curve ball to newly diagnosed patients. It makes them feel scared and sometimes alone. That their whole world has been turned upside down.
We at Cancer Patient Services understand that cancer is scary and often messy. Our goal is to be able to support each cancer patient and their family through their journey. We may have provided you with financial assistance or medical supplies and equipment. Or perhaps it was counseling services or some of our healing arts therapies. Or maybe Joanne, our Patient Guide helped sort out your medical bills or aided in signing you up for benefits. We hope that these services enabled you to take some of the fear out of your cancer journey.
At Cancer Patient Services, we see cancer support as a team sport. We don’t want cancer patients facing that curve ball of cancer alone. Without all the players on the team working towards the same goal, we can’t win this battle against cancer. Each month we meet approximately 16 new families who feel scared and alone. 16 new families come to us each month looking for the support of a team. Would you consider joining our Cancer Support team by making a monthly commitment to help those 16 new cancer patients? Cancer Patient Services can offer our programs and services free of charge because of our generous community supporters. Would you consider joining the team of supporters? And help us knock cancer out of the park?
First Base
A monthly donation of $10/month or $120/year provides a newly diagnosed cancer patient with 3 cases of nutritional supplements like Boost or Ensure.
Second Base
A monthly donation of $15/month or of $180/year provides a newly diagnosed cancer patient with a month’s worth of mileage reimbursement.
Third Base
A monthly donation of $20/month or $240/year provides 3 sessions with a licensed mental health professional.
Home Run
A monthly donation of $50/month or $600/year provides 20 hours of patient navigation services for clients.
Maya Angelou might have summed it up best when she said, “I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back.”
Please consider helping your cancer “teammates” through their battle with a monthly donation.
Thank you for supporting this campaign.