BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University softball team welcomed six-year old Hailey as its newest team member on Thursday at a special Signing Day event.
Hailey, along with her family, were officially welcomed to the BSU softball program during the draft day party held at Bridgewater’s Alumni Park. The team had a chance to greet Hailey and present her with an official Bears’ practice jersey with her name on the back as well as BSU softball pants and shorts and a team water bottle.
Members of the team also brought Hailey to the Adrian Tinsley Center where she could see her own personal locker in the team locker-room.
“We are so grateful and blessed to have Hailey as a member or our team and family, we just adore our new little softball sister,” said BSU head coach Lori Salvia. “In just a small amount of time, Hailey has already left her footprint on all our hearts.”
Hailey, who will join the Bears in the dugout for the remainder of the 2012 season and beyond, was diagnosed with a brain tumor (Diffuse Pontine Glioma ) in December of 2011. Due to the tumor being in-grown in the brain tissue, the tumor is inoperable. In order to shrink the tumor as much as possible and prolong Hailey's life, she goes to Dana-Farber every other Friday to receive radiation. As she continues through treatment, Hailey will use the support and camaraderie of her teammates to keep on fighting while living life to the fullest.
“Hailey is so bright, so funny, so kind and so caring,” noted Salvia. “At only six years old she has inspired us all to face any challenge head-on with courage and strength which is what she does every day as she continues to battle her disease.”
“Hailey epitomizes what it means to be determined and courageous and we can't wait to spend more time with our little softball sister,” Salvia added. “Words can never truly express how amazing this little girl is or how extremely fortunate we are to have been given the opportunity to sign and draft her to our team.”
The match between Hailey and Bridgewater State University came about from the work of Team IMPACT, a new non-profit organization based in Quincy, Massachusetts that matches kids with life-threatening diseases with college sports teams. In the face of potentially devastating loss, Team IMPACT seeks to be the ultimate win-win.
Hailey is currently a first grader in the Town of Middleboro and loves to go swimming at the beach and spends a lot of time over the summer at her family's cottage in Wareham. She also loves drawing and is incredibly talented at it. At the age of two, she was already coloring inside the lines and now is able to draw just about anything.
Hailey’s favorite TV show is Spongebob, but she also likes to watch the Three Stooges with her grandfather, “Pops”. She has a dog named Princess, a Shih Tzu she got for Christmas, but also likes cats, frogs, and dragon flies.
“Hailey has already made a big impact on our softball team so I would expect that an already excellent season for our players will get even better when she joins the roster,” said BSU Director of Athletics, John Harper. “We are all excited to have another new Bear on our team.”
Bridgewater State, which also welcomed eight-year old Nevaeh to its field hockey team on Wednesday, joins the rapidly growing list of Team IMPACT school partners that among others include, Boston College, Tufts University, the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Stonehill College and Massachusetts Maritime Academy.
In order to help Hailey and her family during this difficult period, a fundraiser will be held at the Middleboro Elks Lodge from six to midnight on Friday evening. There will be a date auction, a Chinese raffle, door prizes, a DJ, face painting, and a bake sale. Raffle items include mountain bikes, overnight stays to hotels in Boston as well as the Sea Crest Resort in Falmouth, various gift certificates to nail and tanning salons, restaurants, and more.
Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the door. For those who cannot attend but would like to donate, an account has been set up at Sovereign Bank at 77 Center Street, Middleboro, MA 02346. Checks can be made payable to Hailey's Journey Fund and can be mailed to Hilary & Hailey, 20 Gibbs Rd Middleboro, MA 02346 or dropped off at Sovereign Bank in Middleboro Center.