Mason Kamp of the McHenry County Outlaws baseball team told his family, his mother, and himself that he would hit a home run at the Cooperstown Dreams Park youth baseball invitational tournament to give his sick mom some peace of mind.
He delivered, and then some.
Kamp, a 12-year old from Algonquin, hit a grand slam during a game against the Florida Naturals on June 4 to honor his mother, Kathy Dozier, who made it to the tournament despite being very ill from Stage 4 melanoma.
Kamp had the idea that hitting a home run during the Cooperstown, N.Y. tournament would take his mother's mind off of her cancer for at least a little while, and though she worried he was putting too much pressure on himself, he ended up more than home running for her. He grand slammed.
After the amazing hit, Dozier, her brother and even the other team parents, were in tears.
“Mason made me forget about my past with cancer, my future with cancer. I got to live in the moment. And no matter what my future holds, I will always draw on this Cooperstown experience,” Dozier said of the emotional impact of the moment, according to the Daily Herald.
Dozier and her son had bonded over baseball, which she also played as a child, so she tried to make it to as many games as possible.
Just three days before leaving for the tournament she was admitted to the hospital after difficulty walking, but she was determined not to miss Kamp's biggest baseball achievement yet.
She was released from the hospital the day before leaving for Cooperstown.
