From LBPOSTSports.com: By now we hope you’ve read Brian Baiotto’s incredible story in the PT about the even more incredible Dallas Humphreys, an 11-year old East Long Beach Pony player who has leukemia. It’s inspiring, devastating stuff, and it’s the kind of story guaranteed to make you realize what’s important in your life.
We’ve been following Dallas’ story for a little while now, and we’ve compiled a short list of ways you can help him, his family, and all patients suffering from leukemia. Please take the time to check a few things off this list—Long Beach has always proven itself to be an incredible community, from residents donating dollar bills to a young Billie Jean King so she could begin her tennis career to 12,000 screaming, supportive fans showing up for the CIF semifinal football match between Poly and Lakewood. This is bigger than any of that, and now is the time when having a community actually matters—this is what great communities suit up for.
1—Write Dallas a note. Doctors say a positive attitude is essential to recovery from such a serious illness. Dallas is about as positive as you could imagine a young man enduring such tribulations being, but he could always use more encouragement and support from anyone, whether you know him or not. Visit the guestbook on his website and let him know you’re rooting for him. While you’re there, check out his journal—it’s unbelievable stuff and, like we said, guaranteed to set your priorities straight.
2—Help the family out. The costs associated with this kind of long-term care (Dallas will only spend a handful of days in 2009 at home, out of the hospital) can be staggering, and the family obviously has bigger things to worry about. If you can help and you’re so inclined, you can donate money at the snack stands at the East LB Pony and Heartwell Pony fields, or at D&D Sporting Goods. On May 30th at 6pm, a fundraiser will be held at The Winery in Los Alamitos. If you’d like more info on the fundraiser, contact Diane Munoz at [email protected] or Michele Antonaras at [email protected]. Dallas’ journal will be updated with any further events, and we’ll of course post any we hear about on the site.
3—Fight leukemia by becoming a marrow donor. This may be the most important step, and we hope you don’t skip it. Each year, 10,000 Americans need a bone marrow transplant—6,000-7,000 won’t find a match in their family. That means to fight leukemia, patients need the help and support of their community. Since donor matches tend to fall along race/ethnicity lines (and mixed race/ethnicity lines), the support of a diverse community like Long Beach is essential to this program’s success.
Because of the local impact leukemia has had (in addition to Dallas’ story, the Dirtbags lost a family member last week when Bob Corrales, father of pitcher Josh Corrales, passed away due to leukemia—he was unable to find a donor match), there are local donor registration drives going on.
If you’re going to the Dirtbags games on Saturday and/or Sunday, please take a few minutes to sign up. All you have to do is complete your registration form, and swab the inside your cheek—you’ll only donate if they’ve found a match, in other words, if you know you’ll be helping to save someone’s life.
The registrations will be this Saturday and Sunday at Blair, before and during the games, and on Sunday, May 17th as well. If you donate this weekend, you’ll also get a free ticket to May 15th’s Dirtbags game at Blair. For questions regarding the marrow registry, please contact: Anna Marie Cruz at (714) 334-6653 or [email protected].
A community crisis
We weren’t kidding when we said this is truly a community issue—to give you a sense of how deep this runs: the two mothers who’ve who’ve helped organize the whole thing are Diane Munoz (mother of Dirtbags starting pitcher Jake Thompson) and Michele Antonaras (one of whose sons, Emmy, is the starting catcher for the Millikan Rams). Thompson has also gotten involved in the efforts since Dallas’ father, Rob, was his travel ball coach when he was younger—he and the Dirtbags have done all they can to offer their support, and will be visiting Dallas in the hospital when the doctor clears it.
Anna Marie Cruz, who’s running the registry drive and who contacted us with much of this information, is the wife of Mike Callin, the Dirtbags’ Operations Manager. And all of this is lent even more urgency than the story of a child in need would already carry by the sad passing of Bob Corrales—as a city, we need to do all we can to ensure that Dallas, as well as future leukemia patients, has the best possible chance at recovery. So take ten minutes and write the kid a note to let him know you’re rooting for him, or try to find a few dollars to aid his family, or go see a baseball game this weekend at Blair and take a second after getting your Evan Longoria bobblehead to swab your cheek with a Q-Tip.
For the privilege of being able to stand up and proudly say, “We are Long Beach, we take care of our own,” that’s a small price to pay.
Click here for the full article by Mike Guardabascio…