Dear James, Daniel and Emily,
It was less than a month ago that Austin was in the hospital in Denver and we were worried that he might not have long to live. It turned out that that that thinking was not exactly correct, we were getting some misleading 3rd hand information. But he does have a permanent heart condition, which means that if he doesn't remain physically healthy and active could have terrible consequences. But if he remains the active, energetic kid that he is, and avoids the normal pratfalls of being a teenager: smoking, drinking, drugs, poor eating habits, he could live a long fun and productive life.
And nothing symbolizes how normal his life can be by what happened this past week. He got asked by a friend of the family to join a little league team. And he had a couple of games where he showed his lack of understanding, but also flashed his athletic ability. Then he was at practice and got a chance to demonstrate his throwing ability, and immediately got promoted to pitcher. So he got a chance to pitch 2 innings this last week. Here are some photos.
Was he the second coming of Nolan Ryan first time out? No, he walked more than a few batters. But he also got 3 strikeouts, one put out due to some nice fielding and no big hits. The best hit was a sharp grounder to third that was held to a single. So if he continues to pitch, gets some practice so his form comes more automatic and natural he could finally find a niche. I am really proud of him, and hope he gets the encouragement and motivation to play that he deserves.
So that's the latest on Austin and how he continues to overcome things that most adults would have a hard time handling.
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