SAN ANTONIO – A 6-year-old Little League baseball champion was forced off the field by a devastating leukemia diagnosis.
Jay Rangel’s team and community are now coming together to help him fight and make a difference.
“He knew his team was in a tournament, and he woke up that morning, and he said, ‘Let’s go. We got to go, my team needs me.’ And that broke me and my wife’s heart the most,” said Noah Rangel, Jay’s father.
Jay might be ready to play, but his dad said the leukemia diagnosis his son got last month is keeping him on the sidelines for now.
“Due to his immune system and having a port that’s implanted, he can’t do things right now, but it just shows that he’s a strong kid and wants to compete against other kids,” said Rangel.
Just a few months ago, Jay was helping his team -- U6 baseball team, Texas Elite -- in the PONY League World Series in Louisiana. Now, he’s trying to rally through health challenges.
“He said, ‘No kid should go through this.’ And we told him, ‘Yeah, no kid should go through this.’ And it sucks because you don’t want to see your kids in that type of pain,” said Rangel.
Jay may not be on the field, but he is far from forgotten by his teammates. The Southwest PONY League will host a charity baseball tournament and a plate sale for Jay this Saturday, Nov. 11th. It will also hold a blood drive to help the South Texas Blood and Tissue Center.
“At the end of the day, it’s bigger than baseball. That’s what we have been telling people. We appreciate it, but it’s a bigger fight,” said Rangel, who added that Jay is making strides in the right direction.
If you want to help the family, you’re invited to the Southwest PONY League fields on Saturday. The charity tournament starts at 8 a.m., followed by the blood drive at 9. The food plates will be available around lunchtime and sold until none are left.