Kirtland boy throws first pitch at Cubs game

  • Published
  • By Argen Duncan
  • Nucleus editor
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  Julian Leonard may look like a normal toddler, but the little guy recently had an experience most people never do: He threw out a ceremonial first pitch at a Chicago Cubs game.

He's also been battling cancer for almost his entire life.

Two-and-a-half-year-old Julian is the youngest child of Jessica and Senior Master Sgt. James Leonard. James works at the Air Force Safety Center at Kirtland.

When the family was stationed in Germany and Julian was six months old, he was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, in his case, a tumor running through his spinal cord and abdomen. James said the Air Force medically evacuated the family to Albuquerque, which was his next intended duty station.

Julian had two surgeries to remove the tumor, but some of it remains in his spinal cord. If doctors tried to remove that portion, James explained, they risk paralyzing the boy.

So, they're working to control the cancer to allow Julian to continue to function.

"He's doing pretty well right now," Jessica said. "He has a scan coming up in November. We just take it one bit at a time."

A couple of months ago, Jessica, a Chicago native, saw a Facebook post about the Cubs raising awareness and money for pediatric cancer. The member of the public who raised the most money for the effort would get to throw out the first pitch at a game.

The older Leonard children, 12-year-old Jayden and 8-year-old Sofie, wanted to run a lemonade stand to participate, inspired by their brother's condition -- and, in Sofie's case, the fun of selling lemonade.

Their parents thought the stand sounded like too much work but couldn't talk the youngsters out of the idea. So, James and Jessica agreed on the condition that Jayden and Sofie handle all of the work.

Jessica took them to the base housing office, where staff members gave permission to set up the lemonade stand during a soccer game on a Saturday. Housing staff notified base personnel, and Stephanie Froehlich, wife of 377th Air Base Wing Commander Col. Eric Froehlich, notified the spouses' organizations.

Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center and 377th Air Base Wing Command Chief Master Sgt. Brion Blais and his wife also supported the effort and encouraged personnel to help.

On that one Saturday, Jayden and Sofie raised more than $700.

"We thought that was pretty neat," Jessica said.

Within about a week, donations given to their online account with the Cubs brought the total to $3,000. The Cubs had four fundraising teams led by players, and the Leonards participated as part of relief pitcher Jason Motte's team.

A few days before the Cubs' Sept. 20 game against the St. Louis Cardinals, the Leonards learned the kids' fundraising had earned a trip to the game. KOB-TV did a news story on the family's effort, leading to even more donations.

The Leonards traveled to Chicago on Sept. 18.

On Sept. 19, Motte himself called to let them know they'd won first place in fundraising, which brought his fundraising team a win, too. That meant Julian would throw the first pitch.

The Leonards and Jessica's extended family went to Wrigley Field the next day.

Jayden and Sofie went to the mound with Julian while he pitched to Motte.

"He loved it," Jessica said of Julian. "He had a good time with it."

Sofie and Jayden agreed getting to be on the mound was "awesome."

Jayden said it was weird to see himself on the ballpark's big screen, and their relatives thought they were lucky. His mother had shared her childhood memories of Wrigley Field, and he was able to experience the same ballpark.

"It was a good first time there," he said.

The family enjoyed interacting with the Cubs players, too.

"It was cool," James said. "Most of the guys were actually really nice."

Jessica said Motte and his wife were "genuinely sweet people."

First baseman Anthony Rizzo let Julian hold his baseball glove, which was half the boy's height.

"He was really tall," Sofie said of Rizzo.

The Leonards returned to Albuquerque on Sept. 22.

Jessica said the family would have been happy raising $200, and they appreciate the support that brought the effort beyond that level.

"I feel like it was really good for Jayden and Sofie, for their hearts, that they could do this neat thing for other kids, for their brother," she said.

Jessica and James thanked the housing office staff, the Blaises, Mrs. Froehlich, James' co-workers at the safety center and, in fact, all of Team Kirtland for the support.

A friend started a GoFundMe page to help the Leonards with Julian's medical expenses and travel costs. It's at gofundme.com/Julian-Leonard.