In a world full of bad, I’m so excited to see some good .
In case you were living under a rock this past week or you are just now hearing about Ashton and his story, this community stepped up and showed up in just a matter of six days. The amount of love, hope and prayers poured out to this one little boy has been unimaginable and is something that really warms your heart and restores your faith.
For those who do not know, Ashton is a little five-year-old boy with cancer. If you have ever been lucky enough to be in his presence, he left you with a smile. One look at that cute little handsome face with his gap-toothed smile and he has stolen your heart. Looking at Ashton running around playing and watching out for his brother Lee, you would never guess he was battling such an insane fight!
Photo: Ashton, left, and His brother, Lee, Right
Ashton has been fighting this fight for a couple of years and he made a wish. That wish was for a baseball field with a slide and that is exactly what he got! The Make-A-Wish foundation granted his wish and built him his very own tee ball field with a slide coming off the top of the dugout in his backyard and rightfully named it “Ashton’s Field of Dreams”.
When the field was finally completed, the family had just received news that Ashton’s tumors had tripled in size and that he was going to have to complete some very intense radiation, while staying in Atlanta for several weeks. While Ashton was in Atlanta with the doctors and completing the first couple of rounds of radiation, some very special people planned and prayed, knowing that if something was going to be done, it needed to be done quickly.
In just six short days, someone changed the idea of throwing a little friendly game of t-ball with the field dedication into a whole community-wide event! The event had everything from hamburgers and hotdogs to bouncy houses, face painting, fire trucks, t-shirts and a world class t-ball game! Hundreds of people showed up and everyone had chills and tears when Ashton made his entrance to the field in a Police car and then again when he got to throw out the first pitch with former Chicago White Sox, Greg Walker, and Ashton’s brother, Lee got to catch it!
Our community never ceases to amaze me. Even though we may be known for some negative things and our reputation can precede us at times, when things like this happen, it all makes up for it! It takes a village to raise a child, and I am so glad our village was blessed with Ashton! Saturday we were not Republican or Democrat, we weren’t black or white, we were all Ashton’s 'Village', Ashton’s 'Biggest Fan’s,' Ashton’s 'Friends', but most importantly we were all there praying for him in his fight!
Dear Heavenly Father, please lift Ashton and this wonderful 'village' up! Place your healing hands around him and give us all peace, comfort and hope. Place your hands around his doctors, nurses and family guiding them in the right direction. Give us all hope, because, where there is hope, there is faith and where there is faith, miracles happen. Amen!
