Major League Baseball has announced the winners of the 2016 Honorary Bat Girl contest, which recognizes baseball fans who have been affected by breast cancer and who demonstrate a commitment to supporting the fight against the disease. The Honorary Bat Girl for the San Diego Padres is Christine Trimble of San Diego. Trimble, vice president of public affairs for Qualcomm, will be honored by the Padres during a special pregame ceremony on Mother's Day, this Sunday, May 8, before the Padres take on the New York Mets at 1:40 p.m. PT. Trimble also will receive pink MLB merchandise and will be hosted at the game with several dozen friends and family members.
Upon learning of her diagnosis with Stage III breast cancer in 2014, Trimble, who had always taken her screenings seriously and had access to the best health care, found herself overwhelmed as she navigated the health care system and her own treatment options.
"If I found the learning curve steep and the process challenging, I couldn't believe what a challenge it could be for individuals who don't have access to adequate health care, the financial ability, or the education to understand what doctors are telling them," Trimble said.
Trimble's daunting experience inspired her to make a change for others enduring what she did. She became Komen San Diego's largest fundraiser, personally raising more than $36,000 to help provide breast cancer patients with free mammograms, screenings, financial aid, meal deliveries, patient navigation, research and more.
"Once I came to terms with my diagnosis, I realized there really weren't options," Trimble said. "I could cry or fight it. I could get angry or fight it. I could escape or fight it. No matter what, fighting it always won out and somehow I began relying on strength I didn't know I had, to do just that."
The Honorary Bat Girl program was introduced in 2009 to raise additional awareness and support for the annual "Going to Bat Against Breast Cancer" initiative celebrated on Mother's Day. In eight years, thousands of unique testimonials have been submitted and more than 3 million fan votes have been cast. Going to Bat Against Breast Cancer is a Major League Baseball initiative supported by MLB charitable partners, Stand Up To Cancer and Susan G. Komen. This initiative raises awareness about the breast cancer cause, while also raising funds to support breast cancer research.
Fans from across the United States and in Canada shared inspirational stories of hope and motivation in their experiences in the fight against breast cancer, as well as the reasons they, or their nominees, should represent their favorite team. The complete list of winners and their stories can be found on HonoraryBatGirl.com.
On Mother's Day, players and on-field personnel will wear the symbolic pink ribbon on their uniforms along with pink wrist bands. Players also will wear specially-designed uniforms that incorporate pink into the club's Navy digital camouflage uniforms. Commemorative base jewels and dugout lineup cards also will be pink. Games will feature a pink-stitched Rawlings baseball, the official ball of MLB, as the official game ball. Many MLB players also will use pink bats, and pink Louisville Slugger bats, the Official Bat of Major League Baseball, will be stamped with the MLB breast cancer awareness logo. Many authenticated, game-used Louisville Slugger pink bats and other pink items from Mother's Day games will be auctioned exclusively on MLB.com/MothersDayAuction to benefit the fight against breast cancer.