Congrats to Jon Lester!

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Current mood: Inspired

OK, Anyone who knows me knows I love my Andy Pettitte and the New York Yankees...yes in that order. But as a young adult cancer survivor, I find myself rooting for other young adult cancer survivors as they accomplish great things. So for today, I guess I could be a Red Sox fan.....What! Did I say that? Let's face it, that will never happen! But I am a Jon Lester fan. Congrats to Jon on his no hitter.

Lester's No-Hitter Inspires Cancer Survivors
Less Than Two Years After Lymphoma, Jon Lester Makes History
By AUDREY GRAYSONABC News Medical Unit May 21, 2008

When Boston Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester took the mound for Monday night's game against the Kansas City Royals, 12-year-old Wil Vaillancourt of Marblehead, Mass., at first, could not be bothered to watch. Engrossed in his computer game, Vaillancourt only glanced at the television periodically to see the score.

Wil Vaillancourt, left, and Matthew Lowney, right, are two of the cancer survivors who were inspired by Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester's no-hitter on Monday.

But midway through the televised game, when Lester appeared poised to pitch a no-hitter, Wil's father, Quin, mentioned nonchalantly, "You know, Jon Lester is a cancer survivor."

Wil was enraptured. But his reasons for pulling for Lester may have been even more personal than those of the thousands of fans that crowded Fenway Park that night.

Wil has leukemia. For him, watching Lester pitch his way into the history books was particularly inspiring.

"I was surprised that [Lester] did have cancer, seeing how good he was pitching," Wil said. "I was surprised how he could be doing that."

The 24-year-old Lester, who sat out the end of the 2006 season and returned to the team last year after completing treatment, held the Royals to no hits in a 7-0 win.