A Real Heartfelt Home Run!
6/11/2009 5:45:00 PM | Baseball
NewYork - Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital reunites New York Yankees centerfielder and former College of Charleston standout Brett Gardner with heart-transplant-recipient Alyssa weeks after his record-setting home run.
The two first met on May 15, during an event at the Hospital organized by Project Sunshine, a nonprofit organization whose volunteers visit children facing medical challenges. Alyssa, an 18-year-old patient, who had been waiting 107 days for her transplant, gave Gardner a bracelet, telling him that if he held onto it, he would hit a home run.
Several hours later, Gardner hit the first inside-the-park home run by a Yankees player in nearly ten years. Following the game, Gardner recounted his earlier visit to the Hospital and attributed his home run to the patient and his lucky bracelet.
The very next morning Alyssa received a successful, lifesaving heart transplant at NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital. On June 12, Alyssa, joined by family and friends, will reunite with Brett in order to share their memorable experience.
