MOUNT GREENWOOD — Emily Beazley has captured the heart of her neighborhood and beyond, but she might have captured the eye of the Chicago White Sox pitching coaches on Sunday.
The 12-year-old who has bravely battled Stage III T-Cell Lymphoblastic Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma since April 7, 2011 threw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the White Sox game against the Cincinnati Reds.
White Sox Manager Robin Ventura was on the field alongside Emily. In 2011, Emily was joined by Ventura for a cameo appearance at the Goodman Theater around Christmas through the Make a Wish Foundation.
The White Sox showed their support for Emily earlier this season with purple ribbons in the team’s dugout, behind home plate and in the broadcast booth.
Howard Ludwig says the entire community is behind Emily:
Streets and homes throughout the 19th Ward are also decorated with green and purple ribbons — the colors associated with non-Hodgkins lymphoma.
Emily is currently receiving hospice care. Oncologists discontinued chemotherapy earlier this month as it's no longer working. She continues to receive radiation treatments, but it is simply to help alleviate some of her pain.
And yet, Emily has vowed to continue to fight. She does so with the help of Taylor Swift. The pop-country singer is a favorite on Emily's playlist as she will often "Shake It Off" while receiving radiation.
Emily's mother, Nadia Beazley, has kept friends and neighbors updated on her daughter's condition throughout her battle with cancer via Facebook. The result has been an outpouring of support both locally and nationally.
"During these last four years, Emily hasn't just sat around feeling sorry for herself. She has done more in her short time on earth that most people will ever accomplish," Nadia Beazley wrote in a recent post.
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