This past weekend, 14-year-old Dominic Driscoll of Middleboro, Massachusetts, enjoyed an experience of a lifetime, getting to spend the day with his favorite baseball team, the Boston Red Sox, at Fenway Park. Dominic, who has congenital heart disease and has had three open heart surgeries, had his wish to play with the Red Sox granted by Make-a-Wish Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
The teen isn’t just a baseball fan, but also one of the top youth players in the country, and he was treated like a VIP at the park along with his family. They toured the historic stadium, saw the Green Monster up close, and got to watch Red Sox batting practice from the field. As if that wasn’t great enough, Dominic also had the honor of throwing out the first pitch to retired Red Sox MVP David "Big Papi" Ortiz. Then Dominic and his family got to see the Sox beat the L.A. Dodgers from the club seats above the suites.
He hopes to one day become the first player with congenital heart disease to be drafted by a Major League Baseball team, and also raise awareness and funds for congenital heart disease charities, something he has in common with Ortiz, who runs The David Ortiz Children’s Fund which focuses on the same issue. He was the one who surprised Dominic back in April to announce that his wish would be granted. "Being able to make a wish happen is an honor,” Ortiz says, “It’s one of the biggest home runs that I could ever hit."