Field of Miracles

Sean Casey is a former Major League Baseball player who spent eight years as the first baseman for the Cincinnati Reds. Earlier this year, he was inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame. After retiring to his hometown of Pittsburgh, Sean and his wife founded an organization called Casey’s Clubhouse to help fundraising efforts to build a Miracle League Field for special needs kids in Pittsburgh. The field opened this past summer and has become a special addition to the city.

Chloe Kondrich is one of the Miracle League’s many enthusiastic players. Chloe was born with Down syndrome and her father Kurt is an advocate for the inclusion and early intervention of children with special needs. Kurt is so thankful Chloe now has the opportunity to play a sport she loves.

Shawna Palmer, another of the Miracle League’s hard-hitters, has a rare chromosomal condition called Tetrasomy 18p. After being diagnosed in the womb, doctors encouraged Shawna’s mother Karen to abort her. The doctors believed that aborting Shawna would give her twin brother Shane a better shot at survival. But Karen ultimately decided she couldn’t go through with that. And after seeing Shawna light up the Miracle Field, she can’t imagine not having both of her twins.

Currently, there are 250 Miracle League Organizations across the country including Puerto Rico, Canada and even in Australia. The League serves over 200,000 children with disabilities and Sean, Kurt and Karen hope its reach continues to grow.
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