Words of Inspiration Come From Teams, Players

May 1, 2014 – Pete Davignon Can-Sirs Executive Director

CAN-SIRS CORNER

“Playing Senior Softball Through Aches, Pains, and Illness”

These words are on the cover of the book “Slow Pitch Therapy” by senior softball player Leon Speroff, a doctor (see story on Page 1).

His book is a journal of his battle with lymphoma which accounts for about 5 percent of all cancers in the United States. There are several types of lymphoma, the most recognized is Hodgkin’s Disease. It is diagnosed with blood tests. It starts as an anemia, common in the bone marrow. Some indicators are pain in the lower legs, night sweats and fatigue.

Speroff began playing senior softball in 2006 and at the urging of his wife kept a diary. This became a book published the following year, “A Slow-pitch Summer, My Rookie Senior Softball Season.”

This book, along with “Back in the Game” written by cancer survivor and attorney Terry Leiden, are filled with inspiration and hope for anyone facing cancer, and are educational for any senior softball player.

CAN-Sirs Enters 4th Year

CAN-Sirs is beginning its fourth year promoting awareness and prevention of cancer among senior softball players. It has been most encouraging to have the support of so many players, teams, leagues and supporters.

We will not be expanding our cancer survivor teams. It has become quite labor intensive and expensive to field teams in so many tournaments across the nation. As many people know, CAN-Sirs is my wife Vicki and myself working out of our home. We are both cancer survivors and we passionately believe in what we are doing.

We ask senior teams in all age groups to consider wearing our CAN-Sirs jerseys one day of a tournament that the team has entered. You would still enter as your team, but by wearing our jerseys for one day you will be actively promoting cancer awareness among teams at the tournament. If you would like to participate in this program, please contact me at the address below.

This year CAN-Sirs held its 4th Annual Benefit Softball Tournament in Elk Grove, CA. 48 teams from California and Nevada participated.

We seniors are a softball family. What happens when one of us with a health problem steps on to the field? Our teammates surround us with concern and support. Other teams in the league soon learn of our struggle. They have comforting words for us and a kind of understanding look in their eyes. We feel a warm camaraderie among all our fellow players.

These emotions and connections are basic to our health. Thousands of senior ballplayers have met a player who is a cancer survivor and said to themselves, “it could be me.”

Contact: Pete Davignon, Director, 2485 Notre Dame Blvd #370-180, Chico, CA 95928 Phone: 530-680-1614. Email: can-sirs@att.net