A Heartland woman has a chance to be an honorary bat girl at a Kansas City Royals game. Kim Wilkerson of Laclede, Mo., is a breast cancer survivor and a die-hard Royals fan. Her son Rhett entered her in the Susan G. Komen Going to Bat Against Breast Cancer Contest. One winner is selected from each Major League Baseball team. Kim must beat out the other Royals contestants to have a chance at winning.
Kim has coached baseball, played softball, and attended Royals games throughout the years. She’s also participated in Relay for Life and supported others in the area that are going through the same thing she went through.
“If my mom won she would just be ecstatic,” said Rhett Wilkerson. “It’s interesting that something good can happen from something that was kind of bad. I think she deserves to win because of that.”
Winners are chosen based on votes, their story, and their devotion to helping others with breast cancer.
Kim also helped a local woman, Andrea Severa start “Saving Every Victim” to help Linn County survivors and their families fight against breast cancer. Kim lends support and advice to Andrea in regards to the program.
Rhett's essay can be read below. If you would like to vote for Kim, the story is titled "thesandlot" and you can find it by clicking here.
The summer of 2008 will always be remembered by my family. It started great with a May game to see the Royals take on the Orioles. In attendance to this game were my mom, dad, my youngest brother, and me. I remember my mom’s excitement, not only because it was our first game of the season but also because David Cook was there. Mom had just turned 42. She was then diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma on June 4th, 2008. She underwent a lumpectomy with total lymph node dissection June 12th 2008, followed by a re-excision on June 20th due to unclear margins. It was an exhausting summer to say the least for my family. That summer my brothers were playing on two summer baseball teams each and my parents were relentless in their pursuit of being the strongest supporters all season. The well wishes that my parents received at these ball games were countless. These games should have been a nice escape from the constant reminder of illness but they soon turned into a support group of other area women who had finished treatment for breast cancer or were just starting. After seeing the interactions between families suffering from similar situations I would now argue to say that there is no greater family than a summer baseball league in northern Missouri. Her chemotherapy started that fall, which she attended every three weeks for a total of six treatments, followed by 30 radiation treatments. Prior to diagnosis my mom was a dedicated volunteer to help the McLarney Manor and Tiffany In-Home Care teams at our local Relay for Life. Soon after her diagnosis a local woman named Andrea Severa started “Saving Every Victim” with a purpose to help Linn County victims and their families overcome the fight against breast cancer. Since its origination my mom has been committed to helping Andrea with both support and advice as a survivor. Last fall my mom went to Texas to watch Andrea in the 60 mile Susan G. Komen walk. This summer S.E.V.’s first event will be at our local Summer Fun Days where my mom will help hand out breast cancer awareness information. My mom told me stories about her as a girl when her family would visit her Uncle Charlie and Aunt Loretta's in Kansas City. The ladies planned to go to the Starlight Theater while the guys would go to the Royals game. She chose the Royals game. Uncle Charlie didn't mind, and after the game she was able to get the autographs of Frank White, Amos Otis, Freddie Patek and George Brett. As a lady who coached all three of her son’s baseball teams for multiple years, baseball is in her veins and she bleeds Royals blue. I hope that you all will pick my mother, Kim Wilkerson, as the K.C. Royals 2010 Honorary Bat Girl..
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forKTVO