Johnathan glowing with excitement ready to take the field.
Campbell County Knotholer Knocks It Out Of The Park
Stepping across the white chalk on a basepath and onto the manicured brown dirt of an infield for the first time sends anticipation and thrills through the system of any young boy who has ever wanted to play the game of baseball.
5-year-old Johnathan Covington is no different. Johnathan recently walked out onto the diamond for the first time ever and took his position on the field with eight of his Sharks teammates. He was excited and his spine tingled as the pitcher threw the first pitch to the batter. Johnathan was playing ball and one happy kid.
For Johnathan and his family in attendance, there was a special kind of satisfaction. For him it was the culmination of not only a young man’s dream, it marked a triumph over a condition which threatened to prohibit him from ever taking part in an organized Little League game.
Johnathan stepping up to plate for his debut.
No Curveball Will Discourage Him From Playing The Game
Johnathan was diagnosed with Choroid Plexus Carcinoma, a type of brain cancer, when he was just 15 months old. After fighting that for 2 years and putting it into remission his family learned he had Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) which is basically pre-leukemia. A bone marrow cell transplant was attempted to cure the MDS, but it didn’t work and he now has leukemia.
While Johnathan’s challenges have affected his family in many ways, the major one is having to spend so much time apart from each other. His brother and sister are Johnathan’s best friends, and they miss each other so much when he gets admitted into the hospital. His longest stay was 4 months, and he’s had quite a few monthly stays as well.
Johnathan’s parents waited for a long time to be able to get Johnathan into some sort of sport/activity that would help him feel more like his buddies, and when he got to play with his baseball team for the first time, it was the happiest he’d been in a very long time. He was so proud of not only being able to play himself, also but watching his little brother, his cousin, and the rest of his teammates having fun.
When asked what they can do for Johnathan, the only thing his family asks of anyone else is to just pray for Johnathan.
Johnathan, you’ve got our prayers! You are an inspiration and a great example of what determination and a positive attitude can achieve. You and your family are batting a thousand in the game of life.
