Leukemia survivor Courtney Stewart, 14, recently got to stand by the pitcher’s mound at Citi Field as her little brother threw out the first pitch in her honor.
Courtney first became sick when she was six and went through two and a half years of chemotherapy, but she said she is doing well now. Her father, John Stewart Sr., added that she’s doing “great” and is a “typical teenager at this point.”
At the time Courtney was diagnosed, John Sr., a native of Corona, was working at Citibank in Long Island City. He said that the bank was involved with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) annual fundraising event, the Light the Night Walk.
“We were reaping the benefits of the research that had been paid for,” John Sr. said. “It was a natural thing for me to get involved and walk.”
The family won the chance to throw out the first pitch through an auction at the New York Mets welcome home dinner, which benefits LLS each year. John Sr. said that he is very appreciative of the Mets Foundation’s support of LLS.
John Jr., 6, was chosen by the family to throw out the pitch during the game on Thursday, May 27, because he’s “the athlete in the family,” his father said. John Sr. and Courtney stood next to John Jr. on the pitcher’s mound as he threw in honor of his sister. Courtney said she thought he did really well and that it was fun to stand next to him.
“John just stepped out to the mound and threw a perfect strike,” John Sr. said, adding that it was a proud moment for the Long Island family.
Courtney said that the most memorable part of the day was “all of our family being there to support John on a very special day for him.”
LLS will hold a fundraising Light the Night Walk in Queens on Saturday, October 16 in Forest Park. For more information about the walk and how to get involved, visit www.lightthenight.org/nyc.
