A local high school freshman has put the “fun” into fundraising by organizing what he hopes will become an annual event.
Jordan Seinera, 15, helped organize the inaugural Strike Out Pediatric Leukemia Charity Baseball Game, which benefits Leukemia Texas, a 501(c)3 organization that has been working to find a cure for the disease for 52 years. The charity event took place at the Riders Field in Frisco on Sunday, May 22.
Seinera, a student at Hebron High School, first found his love for the game as a young child playing T-ball. Baseball is a game that he cherishes, and now he is using the sport to help fund cancer research.
“I’ve played baseball with most of these guys at some point during my life,” Seinera told NBC DFW. “We’re excited to raise money for such a worthy cause by playing the game we love so much at an incredible stadium. My family has been involved with Leukemia Texas for a long time, so this is a great fit to continue to help others.”
The high school students who competed in the charity game included the Home Run Heroes and the Inspirers. The teams played immediately following a game between the minor league Frisco Roughriders and the Corpus Christi Hooks.
The disease is “a cancer of the blood and bone marrow,” the Leukemia Texas website explains. “Although leukemia starts in the blood, it eventually affects all parts of the body.”
The American Childhood Cancer Organization says that leukemias are the most common type of childhood cancer. According to Cancer.org, there are four main types of leukemia, categorized based on whether they are acute or chronic and myeloid or lymphocytic.
Amelia Dammen, who is battling acute myeloid leukemia, was the honorary chair for the event. Her father, Mike Dammen, says his daughter spent several weeks in the hospital fighting the disease.
“She had a bone marrow transplant six months ago. At her last checkup, tests showed 99% of her cells were the donor’s cells, which is very positive. We are excited to be a part of this event as we love the game. I’m happy to be coaching Amelia’s second-grade softball team,” said Mike.
Seinera and his teammates raised $75,000 for Leukemia Texas during this year’s event.