The trip was made possible through the generosity of Mike and Lisa Peckham, longtime supporters of Rady Children’s Hospital.
By Pollyana Ramos Tucker
San Diego – A group of twelve kids from Rady Children’s signed contracts today with the San Diego Padres, opening up a two day trip to Arizona to hang out and have fun with the San Diego Padres during their spring training.
Damien Lopez, age 17, was born with chronic neutropenia, a blood disorder where the body struggles to produce white blood cells. He is one of the twelve heading off to Arizona, and during the press conference he told the crowd that baseball has been a part of his life growing up. When asked about looking forward to the trip, Damien stated, “I’ve been looking forward to it for a while… It’s exciting to see all these people care about us and our trip to Arizona.”
Padres CEO, Erik Greupner, was also in attendance at the press conference this morning. “I respect, so much, the resilience and the character that’s displayed in these twelve lives sitting at these two tables right now… This is a really special trip and it’s a really special time to just enjoy baseball, time together, and the beauty of life.”
The trip is made possible by the generosity of Mike and Lisa Peckham. The Peckhams have been supporters of Rady Children’s for many years.