Stepping up to the plate: N.S. baseball community rallies around young player who suffered stroke
There has been a remarkable show of support for a young baseball player from the Halifax area who suffered a stroke during a game late last month.
While the 12-year-old recovers in hospital, teammates and many others are stepping up to the plate to wish him a speedy recovery.
Satchel Tate suffered a medical emergency on July 30 while playing for the Hammonds Plains As in an under-13 AA tournament in Bridgewater, N.S.
"He was in centre field, and he was just laying down," friend and teammate Nathan Moulton told CTV News Tuesday,
"I thought he was goofing around because that's his personality, but it ends up he wasn't."
Tate remains in hospital at the IWK Health Centre and is said to be doing quite well -- alert and chatting with visitors.
(Source: Tate Family)
A wall in his room is decorated with his favourite sports posters: The Blue Jays, the Toronto Raptors, and Sidney Crosby.
The Blue Jays are among those sending packages.
"Baseball Canada is putting together a package for him, and then our own provincial body, Baseball Nova Scotia has sent something in to Satchel," said Holly LaPierre, president of Hammonds Plains Minor Baseball.
Scores of strangers have also reached out.
(Source: Hammonds Plains Minor Baseball)
"Last night, at our game in Dartmouth, the Dartmouth team, as well as the Tri-County team, showed up to the field and gave our players care packages — a tribute to Satchel," said the As' head coach Garnet Brooks.
Strokes in young people aren't common, according to doctors, but they're not unheard of.
"It does occur in children. It's very rare, and the causes are quite different than they are in adults," said Dr. Doug Sinclair, the IWK's vice-president of medicine, quality and safety, and an ER doctor himself.
"So, for instance, those children born with what we call congenital hearts — or abnormal hearts — some of those children are more prone to stroke. There are some blood diseases, like sickle cell would be the most common, which is a rare disease in Nova Scotia, but much more common in Ontario and other parts of the world. The blood is abnormal, and they can have strokes," said Dr. Sinclair.
"And in babies, it's even more challenging, because the signs and symptoms are so very different, and again rare events, but we do see them, even in babies."
The As themselves have recorded video messages for Satchel, and have paid their own tribute, adding his number seven to their uniforms — right over their hearts.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.