PHOENIX — To honor young cancer survivors from across our community, the Arizona Diamondbacks hosted its 13th annual Childhood Cancer Awareness game on Sunday.
The D-backs hosted several pediatric cancer survivors who got to meet players, spend time on the field, and receive special honors before the game.
The Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation also donated $100,000 to the Phoenix Children's Foundation and the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders.
Players wore special gold arm bands for the game. Gold is the official color of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
Also, for the first time, some players wore cleats decorated by patients at Phoenix Children's Hospital.
Seventeen-year-old Kaden Bell from Queen Creek, who was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma at just four years old, also got to throw out the ceremonial first pitch.
Diamondbacks President and CEO Derrick Hall told ABC15 he wants these kids to know they are not alone.
"There is hope," says Hall. "There are powerful messages here with everyone behind them. I, too, am a cancer survivor, and my wife is as well. I lost my father to cancer. It is everywhere. It is all around us. We all know somebody who is struggling or maybe has survived cancer, yet when you see these kids, you know they are going to beat it. You know they will defeat it, and we want them to know we are behind them."
Tune in Tuesday to ABC15 Mornings to see a special surprise one Valley boy got from the team! It's a follow-up to a story we brought you last month.
