PITTSBURGH -- Ten-year-old Ryder Maciaszek watched from the warning track as his favorite team, the Pirates, posed for their annual team photo. Then, he was invited to join in on the fun, hopping in front and center as his favorite players clapped and cheered him on.
Thursday will be Ryder’s 11th birthday. Sept. 8 will mark five years since his cancer diagnosis of clival chordoma, a slow-growing bone tumor. With the help of HEADstrong, the Victus bat company and Ryan O'Hearn, Ryder celebrated his birthday a day early with a gameday experience during Wednesday’s batting practice.
The Maciaszeks are from Rochester, New York, but have adopted the Pirates as their favorite team, while Ryder often undergoes treatments at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
“We kind of adopted the Pirates, and I guess it hasn't changed since,” Ryan, Ryder’s father, said. “Our doctor moved to New York City, but we're still Pirates fans.”
Inside the Pirates’ clubhouse was Ryder’s own locker, right between veterans O’Hearn and Bryan Reynolds. Inside the locker sat cleats and gear, a No. 34 jersey with Maciaszek on the back, and two custom Victus bats with a black brush and a bright green logo.
Ryder connected with the HEADstrong Foundation, an organization that offers financial, residential and emotional support to families affected by cancer, five years ago. As HEADStrong began working with ACES, O’Hearn’s agency, and Victus Sports, they brainstormed ideas of how experiences like Ryder’s could be created.
“The timing works perfectly since it's Ryder's birthday tomorrow. Get them down here just to show a different experience,” said Jen Hildebrand, a member of the HEADStrong Foundation. “Our whole thing is cancer sucks, right? It's terrible for everybody, and it takes a lot out of the whole family, too. It's not just Ryder that's battling; it's his entire family, and for us to be able to do something like this to give them a really special and cool opportunity to celebrate something that they love, especially as a family, was really important to us.”
Ryder hung out with O’Hearn, who is continuing his way back from a quad strain, throughout batting practice. The family had been to about five Pirates games in the past, and even participated in a "kids run the bases" postgame event, but nothing this far behind the scenes and engaged. Ryder’s day continued with infield drills, taking ground balls with the rest of Pittsburgh’s infield and learning lessons at second base from Brandon Lowe.
Ryder’s mother, Stefanie, said the family spends a lot of time in Pittsburgh, even spending 50 straight days in the city during Ryder’s first set of surgeries. She hopes to make each visit more than a hospital visit for Ryder, distracting him from the tough battle he’s in. The Pirates play a key part in that.
“Every time we would come here, we'd be like, ‘Hey, you have to have a surgery done.’ He's like, ‘We're going back to Pittsburgh!'” Stefanie said. “And I'm like, ‘Wait, I told you you have to have surgery.’ He's like, ‘I don't care. Are we gonna go to the Pirates game?’”