DERRY — Twelve-year-old Cameron Riley will take the Fenway Park mound Saturday night and throw out the first pitch. The moment will be a bright spot for Cameron as he battles T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma.
Some 300 cancer survivors will be introduced to the crowd as they ride bikes around Fenway Park's warning track before the start of Saturday's game between the Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles. Then Cameron, a lifelong Red Sox fan and baseball player himself, will throw out the first pitch. Throwing out the first pitch is one part of the ceremonies for the fifth annual Pan-Mass Challenge Night at Fenway Park.
Jason Leslie said when he told his son the news yesterday, Cameron acted like it was Christmas morning.
"I was really excited. I didn't know if he was kidding," Cameron said.
For the next two days, Cameron said he will practice every day with the hopes of throwing a strike into the glove of Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek, his favorite player.
Cameron's life changed in November, when he noticed a lump on his right shoulder. His parents took him to the family's doctor, who urged them to have it examined at Children's Hospital in Boston. A week later, Cameron was diagnosed with lymphoma after doctors found large masses in his heart and lungs.
Just days earlier, Cameron was trying out as a catcher for a travel baseball team.
"One day he's running around, doing great," Leslie said. "A week later, we're talking to an oncologist about lymphoma."
Since then, the 12-year-old has gone through high-dosage chemotherapy and lumbar punctures to treat the cancer. Cameron is now in remission, but will continue with the last phase of his treatment for the next 18 months. Leslie said even when Cameron was going through the hardest phases of his chemotherapy, he was still focused on helping others.
"I remember him lying in bed, talking about things he could do to help others," he said.
Cameron's condition has improved since then, but his attitude hasn't changed. He said he wants to organize a video game drive for Dana-Farber patients and help at their holiday dinners in the future.
One way he has helped spread awareness of children's cancer research is through his partnership with Team Nine, the Red Sox cycling team for the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge Bike-a-thon.
The bike-a-thon, which takes place on Aug. 2 and 3, has been held every year since 1980 to raise money for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's Jimmy Fund clinic, according to Jackie Herskovitz, Pan-Mass Challenge spokeswoman.
The fundraiser route starts in Wellesley and Sturbridge, Mass., and ends in Provincetown. All the donations received go to the Jimmy Fund. Named in honor of Ted Williams, Team Nine's participants are wives of Red Sox players and executives.
Since 2003, the Boston Red Sox have been the Pan-Mass Challenge's presenting sponsor, according to Billy Starr, founder of the fundraiser. He said the Red Sox have given the fundraiser a promotional boost since becoming involved five years ago. More than 5,000 tickets to Saturday's game were reserved by the Red Sox for those involved in the fundraiser. The 300 people who will ride around the track are all cancer survivors who also will be participating in the challenge.
"We try to get as many people involved as possible," Starr said. "It starts in the afternoon and continues right through opening pitch."
Cameron hopes his involvement will not only be an exciting opportunity for him, but also will help promote cancer research and encourage people to donate.
"I want to help so other people don't have to go through what I went through," he said.
