When 5-year-old Lucas Fredericks heard that Whitecaps players would be making a stop to see him, he hopped out of his hospital bed.
Then he sought a wardrobe change. The Grand Ledge, Michigan, boy is battling cancer at Spectrum Health Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital and wanted to look his best for the star players he’d soon meet.
“Baseball players don’t want to see anybody without pants,” he exclaimed before grabbing some khakis and wheeling his IV pole out into the ninth-floor hallway to say hi to the players.
Lucas looked up in awe at the Whitecaps players and chatted about his recent birthday bowling party where he got a chocolate helicopter cake plus a strawberry-flavored airplane cake.
“I got a lot of presents, but I don’t remember how many,” the animated little boy said. “Just a lot.”
The players cruised the halls of the children’s hospital Tuesday afternoon, giving away tickets to an upcoming game, shooting hoops with a few patients, and answering questions from others.
Pitcher Gabe Hemmer proved to be a particularly popular player with the kids, engaging them in conversation about everything from Bugs Bunny to the NBA finals.
Ryan Cowgill, 12, pushed back his MRI scan just so he could meet the players. He has a brain tumor and will be at the hospital for another two or three weeks for surgery and recovery.
The Lawton, Michigan, boy loves all sports and plays football in school although, he noted, he played baseball when he was younger. He and the Whitecaps tried to get the best score in a basketball game and then they played Uno for as long as he could.
“I have five minutes to play until the MRI,” he said with complete concentration on the cards in front of him.
Ryan’s mom, Carry Keen, said this is the most fun he’s had all week, and his stepdad, Wayne Avery, praised the hospital for having special events like the baseball player meet-and-greet for the kids.
“If we are busy being distracted by fun—like visits from the Whitecaps—it’s easier to get through the day,” he said.
Nine-year-old Samuel Ohlendorf also was on schedule to get an MRI later in the afternoon so the players gave him free tickets to a game as an added incentive to stay really still so the doctors’ photos would be better. They encouraged him to come to the game and get more photos with players.
“My favorite baseball team is the Tigers,” the Grand Haven, Michigan, boy confided in the duo. “Miguel Cabrera is my favorite player. He has a big bat!”
Proud of my son Gabe Hemmer…he’s an awesome ball player, great son, and good person.
Your son was a complete superstar for the kiddos yesterday, Anna! Thanks for reading Health Beat, and feel free to come back often to our site as we update it daily with new stories that might be of interest to you. 🙂
thank you for giving a diversion to these kids who are sick. I have stage 4 adenocarcinoma and you have NO IDEA how much it helps to make someone think of something else besides their illness. I’m hoping to be healthy enough soon to come to a Whitecaps game.
Hope you feel better soon, Matt, and can get out to a Whitecaps game!
This was a great read! I’m in the healthcare field and seeing local celebrities and sports stars take time out of their already busy schedule to make children smile is very admirable! I’m glad the kids had this visit and hope to see other local celebrities make rounds! Way to go Whitecaps!
Thanks Lisa! It’s one of our favorite stories, too!