IN OUR COMMUNITY - Los Angeles Dodgers
IN OUR COMMUNITY - Los Angeles Dodgers
IN OUR COMMUNITY - Los Angeles Dodgers
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Lt. Vincent Garcia looked around and<br />
could hardly believe what he was seeing. He<br />
was standing on the grass at Dodger Stadium<br />
in his army fatigues, soaking in the pregame<br />
atmosphere on the night of June 24.<br />
Just a few months before he’d been in<br />
iraq with his platoon, the 40-year-old father<br />
of five was serving his country when<br />
he started to have some symptoms that told<br />
him something might be wrong. When he<br />
saw the military doctors, he found out he<br />
had cancer. as tickets home go, this was<br />
not the one he expected or wanted, though<br />
he did find a positive light.<br />
“if having cancer is lucky, this is the best<br />
one to have,” said Garcia. “i have Hodgkin’s<br />
Lymphoma, so it’s 100 percent curable. it’s<br />
painful. it’s brutal. You have to deal with all<br />
these side effects from the drugs, but i’m<br />
doing all right. i’m happy to be here.”<br />
By “here” Garcia meant the Fourth annual<br />
Thinkcure! Weekend, when for three<br />
Getting ready to throw their first pitches are 25 physicians and researchers at City of Hope and<br />
Children’s Hospital <strong>Los</strong> <strong>Angeles</strong> on the first night of ThinkCure! Weekend.<br />
10 community report<br />
days Dodger fans were encouraged to<br />
donate money to raise funds in the fight<br />
against cancer. a partnership between the<br />
<strong>Dodgers</strong>, city of Hope and children’s Hospital<br />
<strong>Los</strong> angeles, Thinkcure! funds collaborative<br />
cancer research in hopes of finding<br />
cures for patients just like Garcia.<br />
in May, the lieutenant started to receive<br />
treatments at city of Hope, and that led<br />
to him being chosen as the Veteran of the<br />
Game for the first night of Thinkcure!<br />
Weekend. He watched intently as 25 physicians<br />
and researchers from the two partner<br />
hospitals walked in from center field<br />
to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. He<br />
saw a familiar face in the lineup of people<br />
engaged in the fight against cancer.<br />
“My doctor, Dr. Leslie Popplewell, was out<br />
there throwing out the first pitch,” said Garcia.<br />
“it was great seeing them out there being<br />
honored. it’s a thankless job. They do so much.<br />
They’re underappreciated by those who don’t Hannah Komai, who just completed her treament<br />
at City of Hope, triumphantly raised her arms after<br />
throwing a ceremonial first pitch on June 26, the final<br />
day of the Fourth Annual ThinkCure! Weekend.<br />
On June 24, the Veteran of the Game was Lt. Vincent<br />
Garcia, who is being treated for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma<br />
at City of Hope.
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