Hundreds of Samuel Rosa’s family members and friends cheered him on as the young cancer survivor and Atlanta Braves superfan had the honor of throwing out the first pitch at Thursday’s game at SunTrust Park.
The celebration was still bittersweet for the 8-year-old and his Brookhaven family. Patrick Rosa, the boy’s father, died last month from complications related to leukemia, which he had battled for years.
“It was a perfect day for so many different reasons. It was just exactly the image of how Patrick lived his life,” said Valerie Bolduc, Samuel’s mother and Patrick’s widow. “We were surrounded by friends and family the entire time.”
Credit: Courtesy of Valerie Bolduc
Credit: Courtesy of Valerie Bolduc
Supporters came from all corners of the Rosas’ lives — there were classmates from Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic School; Patrick’s coworkers from the consulting firm Mercer; fellow players from the youth Murphey Candler Baseball program; and Patrick’s parents, who live in Montreal.
They all wore T-shirts that said “Rosa Strong.”
For Bolduc, Thursday’s festivities spoke to the love they received from their community since Patrick and Sam were both undergoing treatment.
Credit: Courtesy of Valerie Bolduc
Credit: Courtesy of Valerie Bolduc
“The beauty in all of that,” she said, “is how much support we have received from everybody. Just knowing that people are thinking about us, it makes a difference.”
The cool Thursday afternoon at the Braves game came with a number of surprises for the Rosas. In addition to throwing the first pitch, Sam was invited into the broadcast booth and met Braves players Tom Glavine and Jeff Francoeur. He also got to meet Dansby Swanson, his favorite player.
And Sam’s younger brother Will got to do the ceremonial “Play ball!” call before the game.
Credit: Courtesy of Valerie Bolduc
Credit: Courtesy of Valerie Bolduc
Thursday was somewhat of a respite after an unimaginably hard summer for Bolduc, who said her time was split between Northside Hospital and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta for several months.
Sam was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in May and began chemotherapy treatment. Then, in late June, Patrick was readmitted to the hospital; he had been battling leukemia since 2013. He died in early August from complications from meningitis related to the cancer.
Finally, last Monday, some good news: Sam’s scans came back and revealed he was cancer-free.
Credit: Courtesy of Valerie Bolduc
Credit: Courtesy of Valerie Bolduc
Patrick Rosa, a former college hockey player in Montreal, became a baseball fan when his sons started playing in Atlanta. He helped put together and coach a travel team for the 7-year-olds at Murphey Candler Park in Brookhaven.
“Patrick, as long as he was not in treatment, was really involved in the coaching,” Bolduc said. He was “passionate about having the kids learning to play as a team. It was all about teamwork, having a positive attitude.”
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