CARDINALS JOIN LEAGUE-WIDE CHILDHOOD CANCER AWARENESS EFFORT
ST. LOUIS, Mo., August 31, 2023 – In 2023 approximately 10,000 children under the age of 15 are projected to receive a cancer diagnosis in the United States. For this reason, the St. Louis Cardinals are helping to raise awareness about childhood cancer through a series of activations that will culminate with September 3’s MLB league-wide Childhood Cancer Awareness Day.
On September 1st, the Cardinals are partnering with MLB and the Starlight Children’s Foundation® to deliver a Virtual Reality Headset to Mercy Cardinals Kids Cancer Center. Following the presentation, Fredbird will visit with patients and handout Cardinals themed goodies. Later that day, prior to the Cardinals game, Steven Matz will host a group of families impacted by pediatric cancer and supported through the Jason Motte Foundation for a pregame field visit and meet & greet, as part of his TRU32 Player Ticket Program.
On September 3rd, a group of pediatric cancer patients from Mercy will take part in a field visit and Isabella Matchell, a 13-year-old undergoing treatment for Hodgkin Lymphoma, will throw out a ceremonial pitch. On-field, Childhood Cancer Awareness base jewels and line-up cards will be used and players will wear Childhood Cancer Awareness jersey decals and wristbands. Fans can find more information about how to support this important cause at MLBTogether.com.
Also on September 3rd, the Cardinals will once again partner with the St. Louis Baseball Writers and Be The Match® to host the 8th annual #Join4Joe blood stem cell donor drive to add individuals to the Be The Match Registry and increase the chances of finding a donor match for those awaiting a life-saving blood stem cell transplant. The annual campaign was organized to honor the legacy of Joe Strauss, who covered the Cardinals for 14 years at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and passed away in December 2015 at the age of 54 after a courageous battle with leukemia. Every three minutes, someone is diagnosed with blood cancer, and approximately 12,000 people need an unrelated donor each year. Leukemia is the leading type of childhood cancer. Reuben Nicholas, a 5-year-old who is recovering from Severe Aplastic Anemia after receiving a marrow transplant from his father earlier this year, will be joined by his parents and the Strauss family for a pregame ceremony and honorary pitch in memory of Joe. The team encourages fans to join the registry by stopping by the #Join4Joe/Be the Match table in Ford Plaza from the time gates open until one hour into the game or by visiting cardinals.com/join4joe for more information.