Fighting Muscular Dystrophy With A Bat And Ball
During her years at Tabb High School, Jennifer Pattison played flute in the band and was an active member in the Key Club. After graduating with honors, she headed to the Savannah College of Art and Design, where she studied graphic design.
Before finishing up in Savannah, she was a member of the student government and student activities council. Since her magna cum laude graduation, she's been plying her graphic design trade at a Williamsburg company.
But as difficult as all of that must have been, it's nothing compared to the battle that she and millions of others take on every day.
Back in fifth grade, Jennifer's parents noticed that she was having some trouble getting around. She couldn't get up stairs very well, and sometimes had difficulty standing up.
Doctors did some bloodwork, and eventuall, the sad truth was found: Jennifer was suffering was Limb-Girdle muscular dystrophy, one of the rarest types of the disease. Her younger brother William would soon be diagnosed, and Jennifer now relies on a wheelchair to get around.
It's a battle that no one should have to fight alone. Fortunately, before Jennifer was even diagnosed, a special group of local athletes had gotten together to battle the disease themselves.
In 1978, Sandra Pickin began the annual Peninsula Muscular Dystrophy benefit baseball tournament, in which four teams raised nearly $300. In the decades since, the tournament has raised hundreds of thousands for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, which itself has been fighting the disease since 1950. At one time, the tournament was the largest non-corporate sponsored event in the country, a representative said.
For the past 12 years, Jennifer's been coming out to the games to watch her friends throw strikes and hit homers for her. As the 2008 event kicked off in the first weekend of August, Jennifer threw out the first ball.
"It's been amazing," she said of the tournaments. "These people have become like family to me."
After Sandra passed away in 1997, her daughter Lori Woods took over the event, which actually begins before the first pitch.
"We have car washes and fundraisers," Lori said. "We have a lot of people donating raffle money."
During the games, parents and friends donated money as their players got hits or made fine catches in the field ("Runs don't go on the scoreboard until they're paid for!" Lori asserted.) Autographed items from current baseball stars David Wright and Ryan Howard and past stars like Brooks Robinson were raffled off. But as the senior league (age 16-18) games kicked off at Trimble Field, the real fun began.
Between innings, players and coaches took part in various events, and the crowd donated money (perhaps in pity!). Some coaches sang I'm a Little Teapot. One team did the Macarena dance. A player spent an inning in a dress. Players held hands and skipped around the bases, danced with family members, or ran relay races - and the money poured in.
Through it all, Master of Ceremonies Tom Baynham led the participants through the motions.
"I've been volunteering for almost 10 years," said the Richmond resident, whose son spent many years in the tournament. "My wife is an occupational therapist who works with people with muscular diseases, and this is my annual mission trip. It's for a good cause. I just kind of fell into it; one year they decided it would be good to have someone walking around, collecting money and talking to people. It's a lot of fun; people are really good about giving not only of their time, but of their money. I've had a lot of friendships through this for the past 10 years."
As an umpire, Tom Platteborz wasn't expecting to make many friends.
"It's less than formal," he said, "but when you get behind the plate, guys are expecting balls and strikes, so there's still a little pressure. The parents still get on you. But I've been doing this for three years, because this is a chance to come out and enjoy some baseball for a great cause."
As the minor division (the youngest players) prepared for their final game on Aug. 14, one of Platteborz's colleagues, Zach Carter, made a special donation on behalf of his grandmother Marie, who passed away from ALS earlier this year.
"She used to love coming to the games, and she gave money," Carter said of Marie. "She came down from Massachusetts to watch, so I had to do something for her. Doing this for her, in her name, was worth it all."
While the Mustangs of Northampton battled the Gloucester Bulldogs for the minor title, tickets went out for a 50/50 raffle. Just before the game ended, the winning numbers were announced, and tournament official Dean Lavender had won nearly $300.
He gave it right back to the cause.
"I've been down here for 10 years, and I've never won a 50/50 before," he said. "It's a labor of love; we believe in it. It wasn't my money - it belonged to the tournament."
The Bulldogs took the title, and Sal Hogge, who'd hit a grand slam in a previous win, was named the Most Valuable Player.
"I just wanted to play my best and have fun," he said. "I was nervous; I didn't know if we were going to lose tonight. I was screaming when we won. I wanted all the players to get MVP."
After the game, Lori brought all the players to home plate to thank them and the parents. Then tournament workers went to the pitchers mound to reveal the amount the division had raised. Lori, who had previously hoped for at least $12,000, held her breath.
Holding a rolled-up sign, the workers started to unfurl it, and the numbers were revealed. By the time they were all on display, Lori still couldn't breathe - but for a different reason.
The minors alone had brought in over $27,000.
The goal hadn't been met. It had been obliterated.
"I didn't believe it," Lori said. "Absolutely not. I knew they were going to make a ton, but that was unbelievable."
Gloucester coach J.D. McAllister played in the tournament himself as a youngster.
"I've got a lot of sympathy for kids with MD," he said. "It's a good experience for the boys, because it teaches them a little bit about life. They can learn a little bit about baseball, and it can teach them to appreciate what they have when they get older."
As the older kids finished out the tournament the next day, Lori looked at the bleacher crowds, and worried.
"The turnout wasn't as big as I'd hoped," she said.
Fortunately, she managed to raise about $1,000 in donations from the bleachers, and a few local business representatives donated $500 apiece. In less than an hour, the tournament was $3,000 richer.
The Beach Ford Thunderbirds of Chesapeake won the senior title, and their six-team tournament raised $6,100. Then the Bad News Bears (Peninsula) took the age 13-15 championship.
Lori and the players headed back to home plate, and the tournament workers - and Jennifer - went to the pitcher's mound to reveal the event's final take on a huge banner.
"I was hoping we could get close to $50,000," Lori said. "Last year, we got $44,000, and I was concerned, because of the economy, that we wouldn't get there. After the minor donation, I was crossing my fingers, thinking, 'We might make it, we might make it!'"
As the banner unrolled, Lori saw the number 42, and a decimal point in front of it, indicating the number of cents in the final tally. Then she saw an eight and a pair of sevens.
Then there was a two, and she didn't know what to think.
"I knew we'd raised more than $40,000," she said. She was right; the last number was a five, upping the total to over $50,000. Everyone cheered - but Lori, once again, couldn't make a sound.
"I literally sat right down," she said. "I didn't know what to say. I didn't speak for a long time. It was really special to raise that much money."
At the annual MDA fundraiser on Labor Day weekend, the three tournament MVP's will head to the WAVY 10 News station telethon in Norfolk to donate the money. Sal's going to have the largest individual amount.
"I'm going to be really nervous," he said. "I don't like being in front of millions of people watching TV!"
Jennifer hoped that 2008 would be the year that a treatment for the disease is finally found.
"The tournament was great," she said. "Everybody worked so hard."
Just like the ones that help her out almost every day.
"If I need something on a computer, my co-workers will get it for me," she said. "If I hang out with friends, have to get to movies and restaurants a little early. I have great friends that take me everywhere."
That's why she's never really felt handicapped by the disease.
"Sometimes I wish I could jump around or run," she said, "but I don't feel like I really miss out on anything."
