New Phila mom and daughter share in special Mother's Day treat at the ballpark
A mother's love for the Indians and her winning battle against breast cancer helped earn Tina Amstutz of New Philadelphia honorary bat girl in a contest sponsored by Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation.Major League Baseball and Susan G. Komen for the Cure recently announced the winners of the 2010 Honorary Bat Girl Contest, a campaign to recognize inspirational MLB fans who have been affected by breast cancer and demonstrated a commitment to the cause. One winner was selected for each of the 30 MLB Clubs by a blue ribbon panel of celebrity judges and more than four million fan votes on MLB.com.
Clubs at home on Mother's Day hosted their Honorary Bat Girl during scheduled on-field celebrations; visiting Clubs on Mother's Day selected another date in May to recognize their local winner. The program was developed to raise additional awareness and support for the annual Going to Bat Against Breast Cancer initiative, a joint partnership between MLB, its licensed partners and Komen for the Cure, the world's largest breast cancer organization.
The Amstutz family attended the Cleveland Indians game against the Detroit Tigers on Sunday, May 9.
"I have two daughters attending college in Akron, and every year they ask me what I want for Mother's Day, and I just say, let's go to an Indians game. I really enjoy going to the games," said Tina Amstutz. "For the past seven or eight years, we've gone to the Indians game on Mother's Day. They were online looking for tickets and happened to see this bat girl contest for breast cancer survivors. I'm a five-year survivor, and my daughter (Chelsea) wrote a story and she ended up winning. We're big Indians fans. We enjoy going to the games."
Think pink
Hundreds of Major League Baseball players used pink bats produced by Louisville Slugger, the Official Bat of Major League Baseball, stamped with the MLB breast cancer logo on Mother's Day. Many players also wore pink wristbands and the symbolic pink ribbon for breast cancer awareness was displayed on player uniforms, as well as on all on-field personnel.
"The support from the clubs, players and fans for the Going to Bat Against Breast Cancer initiative each year has been remarkable," said Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig. "Mother's Day is a special celebration and I am pleased we continue to observe it by raising awareness and funds for Susan G. Komen for the Cure. On behalf of Major League Baseball, I want to thank all of the incredible Honorary Bat Girl Contest winners for their courage, determination and inspiration as they join us on the field to help in our efforts to fight breast cancer."
For the second consecutive year, MLB and Susan G. Komen for the Cure launched an online search to find an Honorary Bat Girl for each of the 30 MLB Clubs. Since February, fans from across the country have been sharing their stories of inspiration and hope, and how they are supporting the fight against breast cancer. Nearly 1,000 testimonials were submitted by women and men online at MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball, by breast cancer survivors, advocates and supporters of the cause.
An All-Star cast served as celebrity judges on a blue ribbon panel for the 2010 Honorary Bat Girl Contest including Access Hollywood's Maria Menounos; Ambassador Nancy G. Brinker, founder and CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure; MLB All-Star Pitchers Brian Wilson, CC Sabathia, John Lackey and Jake Peavy; and MLB Network's Trenni Kusnierek and Mitch Williams.
Each Honorary Bat Girl had an opportunity to take part in pregame activities, be honored during an on-field ceremony and receive pink MLB merchandise and two tickets to their Club's Mother's Day celebration game.
"Now, in its second year, Honorary Bat Girl stories continue to amaze us," said Katrina McGhee, senior vice president, global business development and partnerships at Susan G. Komen for the Cure. "To hear how these survivors have overcome the shock and fear of a diagnosis and then dedicate themselves to bringing awareness to this disease and raising funds for research and community programs is incredible. Advocates like these help us get one step closer to our promise: to save lives and end breast cancer forever."
In 2009, Komen for the Cure provided funds for almost 500,000 breast screenings and for treatment and support programs in 1,900 communities nationwide and around the world, along with funding more than $60 million in research.
In addition to promotional support, Major League Baseball Charities has committed $50,000 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Game-used Louisville Slugger pink bats will be auctioned off on MLB.com at a later date to raise additional funds for Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Fans can purchase their own personalized pink bat at MLB.com or www.slugger.com, with $10 from the sale of each bat benefiting Komen for the Cure.
Following is the winning essay submitted by Chelsea Amstutz of New Philadelphia. Chelsea is a pre-med student at the University of Akron.
Survivor Mom
I would like to nominate my mom for this contest. Five years ago the doctors found a small lump on my mom's mammogram. She had a lumpectomy. I will never forget the day we got the results back. It was the Friday before Mother's Day and I was at school when they got the call from the doctor. When I returned home I found my dad in the garage and my mom came outside. They told me and my two sisters that she had breast cancer. It was one of the first times I have ever seen my dad cry. We all hugged and cried for the rest of that night. My mom is extremely close with me and my sisters. And now 2 days before Mother's Day we find out that she has breast cancer. It couldn't help but cross our minds that that could be our last Mother's Day with her. Her cancer was an aggressive cancer, but they caught it at an early stage so her chances looked good, but to 3 young girls, the idea of your mom having cancer was equivalent to the world coming to an end. She started radiation in July 2005. She continued radiation for six months and had chemo for three months. She got very tired and I think she got sicker than she would let us see. She was so strong throughout it all. She is a waitress and not once did she call off work during her treatments. She is a fighter and was not going to let cancer take her life. She made it seem as if nothing was wrong for my sisters and me. One of the hard parts for me was the thought of my mom losing her hair. It may sound silly, but it was just the only physical harm that I saw the cancer doing to my mom. When my mom started losing her hair we went to our close friend who cuts hair and is also a breast cancer survivor. When I saw my mom's head being shaved I started to cry, but then they let me and my sister step in and give my mom a mohawk! It definitely helped make it seem better. From then on not even being bald was upsetting. We would rub and kiss my mom's bald head all the time. My mom was so strong and made sure that the cancer did not upset us. Every time she tells her story she gives me and my sisters the credit for why she was able to be so strong, but it was all her and I want her to know that. She is the strongest woman I know. Every year for Mother's Day all my mom ever asks for is tickets to an Indians game. She loves the Indians and I know that this would mean so much to her and what better timing than on her five-year mark!