“I was diagnosed with ALS by my primary care doctor after about 2-3 years of tripping and issues of dexterity and mobility on the right side of my body. From there I went on to a second opinion by my neurologist and yet another by an ALS specialist in Seattle,” recalls PALS Jenny Hoff of Spokane, Washington, about being diagnosed. Now, her step-son, Nick Robert Swartz, is stepping up to the plate to help her, their family, and the entire ALS community fight back.
Swartz inherited a piece of history recently, when his grandfather left him a unique piece of baseball treasure. “My grandfather Lowell “Brownie” Brown and his older brother carved two bats originally on the family farm in Indiana. The second bat was lost a in a fire that burned down everything at the time, I believe in the late 1950s. These two would eventually journeyed from Indiana to the Big Apple, and to Yankee Stadium, the house that Ruth built in 1933,” says Swartz. “The entire team autographed the bat including nine Hall of Famers: Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Lefty Gomez, etc.”
Nick created a video (below) explaining the history of the bat as passed to him from his grandfather. “I don’t believe it’s any coincidence my grandfather left me a Lou Gehrig signed bat and my stepmother happened to end up with Lou Gehrig’s disease.”
The family is auctioning the bat off and is planning on donating a portion of the proceeds to fund research into effective treatments for ALS at the ALS Therapy Development Institute. More information about the bat and auction is available via Memory Lane Auctions.