Day 235: Took Rocco Out To The Ball Game

For me, a baseball field is a sanctuary.  It has been since I was a little kid.  Being able to go sit in the stands for a few hours has always been a respite from any issues I may have been having at the time.  Whenever I enter a baseball stadium, I instantly turn into my 10 year old self and any problems in my life disappear even just for a little while.  It's crazy I know, but it works for me.  Since it has always worked for me, I am hoping that it works for a new friend of mine, Rocco.

Rocco is a 5 year old boy who has been going through a rough time as of late.  In March of 2009, Rocco's parents, Christy and Jason, received the news that Rocco had been diagnosed with Acute Lymphonoblastic Leukemia or ALL.  ALL is a type of leukemia that attacks the white blood cells and prevents the body from being able to fight off infection.  After a few years of intense chemotherapy, spinal taps, and transfusions, Rocco and his family planned a celebration in honor of him kicking leukemia's butt.  However, the family was shocked to hear that after all of that, Rocco's leukemia had returned.  For the next 2 years, Rocco will undergo a slew of tests and chemotherapy that will hopefully get rid of this horrible disease once and for all.  For being so young, he has showed so much strength and toughness.

When I heard about Rocco's story from my friends Paul and Alex, I wanted to do something for him for one of my random acts.  From speaking to Paul and Alex, I found out that Rocco plays teeball with their nephew (also named Rocco) and is a huge baseball fan.  So I decided that I wanted to take Rocco and his family to a White Sox game so that hopefully they could get away from their problems for a few hours and enjoy themselves.  However, for such a special kid, we needed to make this game extra special.  Through my friend Brandon, I was able to let Curtis Granderson of the New York Yankees know about Rocco and his family.  I have read a bunch of stories about how charitable a person Curtis was in the past, so I wasn't surprised that he was completely open to helping with a random act for Rocco (plus he is a Chicago guy, and Chicago guys are always awesome).  In a little while I will be leaving to meet up with Rocco and his family at U.S. Cellular field.  Today, for my random act of kindness, I will be taking them to the White Sox-Yankees game where they will have the opportunity to have a meet and greet with Curtis Granderson.  Also, a special Thank You to Brandon Buwolda, John Millsap, and Joseph Sum for helping coordinate the tickets and meeting!