Mt. Greenwood's Emily Beazley Hurls First Pitch at Chicago White Sox Game

Photos by Ron Vesely/Chicago White Sox

The home of Chicago’s ”men in black” was splashed with green and purple Sunday.

The Beazley family of Mt. Greenwood enjoyed a day at U.S. Cellular Field, with sisters Emily and Olivia even stepping onto the pitching mound. Twelve-year-old Emily heaved one toward home plate in the ceremonial first pitch as the Chicago White Sox took on the Cincinnati Reds. Emily’s younger sister stood beside her for the occasion, as parents Ed and Nadia cheered her on.

Emily has been battling cancer since she was 8 years old. She was first diagnosed with stage-3 T-cell lymphoblastic non-Hodgkin lymphoma in April 2011. She finished treatment in July 2013. Since then, she has relapsed several times. In August 2014, Olivia donated stem cells to her sister, but she relapsed again in January. Her family was recently told she will never go into remission.

The team treated the family to time on the field, as well as a suite decked out in Emily’s colors. Mascot Southpaw donned a purple “Emily Strong” cape in honor of the girl her community has dubbed their “Hero on Homan.” She stood alongside players during the singing of the National Anthem, and enjoyed some one-on-one-time with Southpaw.

Her story has inspired an outpouring of support spanning the Chicago area—even the country—as supporters show they are #EmilyStrong. The community has embraced the family and their struggle, renaming the block on which she lives in her honor.

With supporters’ help, word of Emily’s story even reached her favorite singer Taylor Swift, who granted Emily’s wish with a personal phone call.

Read more about Emily:

• Emily Beazley and Younger Sister Olivia Named Honorary Chicago Police Officers
• ‘Emily’s Delight’ Doughnuts Flying Off the Shelves
• ‘Emily’s Day’: Community Comes Together for Tribute to Mt. Greenwood 12-year-old
• 12-year-old ‘Hero on Homan’ Inspires Southland