From the Mound to a Mission: A Story of Hope After Loss
Sadly, my comeback was short-lived. Five days later, I threw “…the pitch that could be heard round the world.” My arm broke. As I tumbled to the ground, I was overwhelmed with pain wondering what is going on in my life. I realized in that moment there was something going on that was much bigger than baseball.
After my comeback and fall from the mound, the cancer returned, yet again. The arm refused to get better so I decided to retire from my dream, the game of baseball, in November of 1989. Finally, the arm along with my shoulder blade and the left side of my collarbone had to be amputated for fear the cancer would spread and take my life. Little did I know that the loss of my childhood dream would become a platform to share hope with the suffering around the world.
More Than What We Do
The challenges I’ve faced in the years following have taught me volumes and I now travel the country sharing the lessons I’ve learned—lessons on how to navigate loss and suffering, and how to experience encouragement and hope. More recently I’ve been exploring how we define our true worth, learning that it’s not what you do that matters most—it’s who you are. The experiences of my life have drawn me to discover and share about the value and significance of relationships—relationships with co-workers, family members and anyone else on ‘my team.’ My personal experiences have also taught me to evaluate life—challenging myself as well as others to press on towards our future goals.
Currently, my busy schedule takes me all over the country, sharing my story and what I’ve learned to groups of all ages and sizes. My motivational messages are straight from my own experiences with loss and suffering as I seek to inspire through the encouragement and hope I’ve discovered along the way.
Click here to view video: The San Francisco Giants made this video on the anniversary of the Comeback.
