The Royals joined Major League Baseball and its other 29 clubs in raising awareness for childhood cancer this past Sunday, with September annually recognized as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
After the fourth inning on Sunday against the Twins at Kauffman Stadium, the Royals held their own Stand Up To Cancer moment, with players and personnel from both teams lining up on the field holding signs that recognized someone in each person’s life who has battled or is battling cancer.
Fans joined in on the moment, too, holding their own signs from the stands.
The Royals also hosted Braden’s Hope for Childhood Cancer at the stadium for a pregame ceremony, recognizing the Kansas City-based nonprofit that fights childhood cancer by funding cutting-edge childhood cancer research and raising awareness in the community. Braden’s Hope was named after Braden Hofen, who was diagnosed with Stage IV neuroblastoma when he was 3 years old but remains in remission nearly two decades later. He turned 21 years old on Wednesday.
The organization supports researchers and leaders at Children’s Mercy Research Institute, the University of Kansas Cancer Center and the Stowers Institute. And it works with community leaders like the Royals to raise awareness for the work that those institutions are doing to help advance cures for childhood cancer.
Before first pitch on Sunday, the Royals recognized 30 of the nonprofit’s Hope’s Heroes – children battling cancer on the field. One of Hope’s Heroes, Missy Conrad, threw out the ceremonial first pitch.