I've been lurking on reddit for quite a while now and recently came upon a couple of posts (here and here) that I knew I had to share. Recently, friends and family of Katie Ortega shared her story.
Katie is a 17 and is going through a battle with AML (leukemia). Currently, she is in chemotherapy and is fighting like heck. In times like these it's great to know there are strong foundations in place to help her through the tough days, but it's even better when leaders in the community (like the Dodgers) come through to extend their love and well wishes.
A couple of weeks ago, Katie found her way to the Dodgers field with a little help from her friends and was greeted warmly by the Dodgers. As written on a CaringBridge journal entry about the trip.
Katie and Allie were on cloud #9 for for about 6 hours, ok we all were. Katie met and got autographs from many prayers. Matt Kemp gave Karie one of his bats, and in return Katie gave him one of her Standing by Katie bracelets. Andre Either told them how beautiful their eyes were, in return Allie gave him her Standing by Katie bracelet. Clayton Kershaw hugged her and told her she would be in her prayers everyday. What a blessing the day was. Mark Ellis shared his bald head with Katie and Hall of Famer Don Newcome shared his cancer story.As anyone will tell you, having this kind of support from folks you look up to can make all the difference in the world. Better yet, knowing that Matt Kemp has taken the extra step to wear the aforementioned "Standing by Katie" bracelet every game since then makes him a hero. Thank you Matt! I am sure Katie truly appreciates it. Be sure to check out Katie's CaringBridge Journal to read up on her progress, and if you are so inclined check out how you can get a bracelet yourself.
Check out the photo below showing Kemp wearing Katie's orange bracelet. I also noticed in yesterdays game that he is still wearing it!
Here is a close up of the bracelet.
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