Thanks to the generosity of the New York Mets, Florida teen Kirk enjoyed a special spring training experience. He is diagnosed with leukodystrophy, severe asthma, gastroparesis, developmental delays, and no corpus callosum or hip sockets; he has a service dog named Bruno.

The 15-year-old watched Mets players during batting practice, received a tour of the Clubhouse, personally met with Manager Buck Showalter and then sat in VIP seats to watch the Mets vs. Nationals game. The experience comes a reunion between Casey Cares and Buck Showalter, a frequently supporter, having begun during his time as Manager with the Baltimore Orioles in Maryland.

Kirk's mother, Robin and father, Jose joined him for the fun afternoon! He even sampled dugout player's bubblegum! Kirk also got on-the-field autographs from Mets players like Daniel Vogelbach and Brandon Nimmo.

Robin said that Kirk loved attending his first in-person baseball game and he, “really gets into baseball when he sees them playing on TV so this was a real treat.”

Today, Kirk wears a heart monitor and is a tenth grader. He loves DC Comics and Marvel, often referred by his family as the Hulk, and is also interested in Minecraft, the outdoors, magnet fishing, and medal detecting.

Robin concludes, “[Kirk] is nothing but love and that is all he sees.”

Thank you again to the New York Mets for giving a once-in-a-lifetime experience to Kirk! These seemingly little moments truly make lasting memories for critically ill children who undergo harsh medical treatments. Casey Cares always appreciates in-kind donations of tickets to sporting events for the kids in our programs! Please email them to our Program Director Summer at Summer@CaseyCaresFoundation.org.