More Than a Game

continued

I asked where they were from. "Grand Rapids," said the grandfather. "Are you visiting family for Easter weekend," I asked. "No," he said. "My daughter has a high-risk pregnancy, and she's at the hospital to give birth." Another inning passed.

He told me his daughter and her husband had lost their first three pregnancies. After having their little boy, a healthy child, they wanted another. But this baby, this baby has a lot of problems—one chamber in his heart, defects with his stomach, his esophagus, and his brain.

Another pitch, a steal, a homer, and the fight song again.

"We thought the heart would be the biggest problem, and we asked about that," said the grandfather. "The surgeon here told us he's fixed hearts like that before. The real problem is the baby's brain. They can't fix that."

His daughter had been admitted to the hospital earlier in the week, so the team of specialists would be ready and waiting for the baby when he arrived.