Yelling “Play Ball” for Organ Donation Awareness

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Christian Gomez celebrated his 18^th birthday in a really particular method. He was honored on the San Francisco Giants recreation in opposition to the San Diego Padres because the Play Ball Child.

The Giants, in collaboration with Donor Community West, hosted the 26^th annual “Donate Life Day,” which is the longest working organ donor consciousness occasion in skilled sports activities. Stanford Drugs Kids’s Well being transplant patients, together with their households and care groups, have been invited to Oracle Park to benefit from the recreation.

For Christian, this occasion was particularly significant because it was his first time again at Oracle Park since 2019.

Christian was born with biliary atresia, a uncommon liver illness that impacts tubes within the liver known as bile ducts. With out functioning bile ducts, bile—a fluid that helps with digestion—can’t drain from the liver. As a substitute, it builds up, turns into poisonous to the liver, and causes harm. Biliary atresia is the most common cause of liver transplants in youngsters in the US.

Christian at 9 months after his liver transplant

“At 9 months outdated, he was listed for a liver transplant,” his mom, Maria, defined. “Then, they instructed me in regards to the choice of changing into a living liver donor. We didn’t even know that was an choice on the time. However I believed to myself, if it provides my child that likelihood, I need to be a donor if I’m capable of.”

After a prolonged workup, Stanford Kids’s docs decided Maria was a match for her son. Simply earlier than he turned 1, she donated a bit of her liver. That liver helped Christian take pleasure in his childhood, however the drugs he took ultimately scarred down his liver. It grew to become clear that he wanted another transplant at 17 years outdated.

In Might 2025, Maria received the decision that there was a donor match. Christian obtained a brand new liver and one other likelihood to pursue his goals. He hopes to begin his personal actual property enterprise.

“He’s very grateful, very completely satisfied, and has been hanging out together with his associates,” Maria mentioned. “He even instructed me, ‘I really feel good mother. I can return to work.’ He’s working part-time over the summer season. It’s simply nice to see that his mentality has modified from not with the ability to do what he loves and now getting again to it.”

On the recreation, Christian was each nervous and excited in regards to the once-in-a-lifetime alternative to kick off a Giants recreation. He and his household arrived early at Oracle Park, watching the gamers heat up. Christian even received his baseball autographed by Giants third base coach Matt Williams. When it was time to begin the sport, he energized the group by yelling “play ball” into the microphone.