Celebrating the ‘Miracle’ of Life

By Todd Shearon

The centerfield flags were waving at half-mast while players, family members and volunteers stood silent along the base paths. The lyrics, “Like a small boat on the ocean, sending big waves into motion,” began to ring out over the loudspeakers during a memorial of major league proportions.

The Miracle League of Amherstburg was inducting Taneysha Harris as a lifelong miracle on the Wall of Honour behind the home plate of the diamond. Rachel Platten’s Fight Song complimented Harris’ images on the jumbotron while filling the air with inspiring sentiments and the message to always live life to the fullest because you have a lot of fight left in you.

Harris, who played for the Cougars baseball team died earlier in the week at age 17.

“All the stars (on the Wall of Honour) are for players who have passed away,” said Miracle League Public Relations Coordinator Michele Vigneux. “Once you’re a part of the (Miracle League) family you’re always a part of it. Joining the big league in the sky.”

Experiencing a lot of firsts over the last couple years including attending and graduating from John McGivney School then advancing to specialized classes at Holy Names High School, Harris was confined to a wheelchair and suffered from several physical and intellectual disabilities and challenges.

However, Harris wasn’t a list of disabilities but a teenager with a strong will who overcame them.

“At birth, it was really a miracle that she survived,” said Manager of Residential Supports Maureen Stiers. “Her prognosis for living was only about six months. She lived till she was 17.”

Communicating primarily with emotional reactions through body language her caregivers said she was able to express her feeling of happiness or otherwise and had a distinct knack for touching the lives of others on and off the field.

They also described her as having a spirit that was inspirational to the people who met her, be it through her laugh or smile, and she was able to bring something special to everyone she encountered or had a relationship with.

“It (the ceremony) was definitely sad and emotional, especially when they started playing the Fight Song which was Taneysha’s favourite song,” said Family Respite Services Program Coordinator Lyndsay Battersby. “I think I can speak for everyone on the field and say as sad as we were, we felt happy and proud. Proud in her short time she was able to become a part of such a great community in the Miracle League and the community in general and everyone there would be missing her and thinking of her. The fact they would put this presentation on for her. She touched everyone enough they would want to take that time to remember her before they played baseball.”

Founders Chuck Bondy and Steeve Bouchard launched the first league of its kind in Canada which is fully run by a volunteer board of directors who implement all aspects of fundraising and league operations.

The Miracle League of Amherstburg played its inaugural season in the spring of 2010 at its home in the Amherstburg Sports Complex and has since grown from its original 38 players to over 140 players with eight game seasons taking place in the spring and fall.

“The premise of the Miracle League is for the kids. I think our mission statement ‘Because I Can’ says it all,” said Bondy. “You’ll notice the board members around here, nobody stands forward, everybody does everything. We’ve got the greatest people who are working on this all the time.”

The Miracle League is all about every player getting a hit, every player getting to score and everybody getting to have a great time.

The ballpark is fully accessible and there are no barriers so every child or adult with a physical or intellectual disability can play baseball.

It is a sense of family, a sense of pride, a sense of comradery, a sense of teamwork and a sense of normalcy for people whose lives often seem chaotic. It is a sense of belonging that is not often found through other sources in the community.

“It’s something everybody should experience for themselves. We can’t say enough about this league. You really don’t understand what it’s all about until you come out here and actually see these kids, the faces on them and how excited they are every week to play baseball,” said Julie Marriott Khoury, mother of Miracle League Bobcats player Alexander Khoury. “We’re really fortunate to have something in our area that reflects such a sense of pride and family. It’s so important for the Miracle League families to experience that and to meet other parents who maybe feel the same way. It’s not just therapy for the kids, I think it’s a little bit of therapy for the parents too.”

For more information on the Miracle League of Amherstburg and how you can volunteer, donate or attend a game, visit amherstburgmiracle.com because they believe “Every Child Deserves a Chance to Play Baseball.”