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Pitcher returns to mound after beating cancer
A 13-year-old baseball player returned to the mound Friday night at Bayshore Little League in Tampa after beating bone marrow cancer. FOX 13's Allie Corey reports.
TAMPA, Fla. - A 13-year-old baseball player returned to the mound Friday night at Bayshore Little League in Tampa after beating bone marrow cancer.
Brody House was cleared to play in the All-Star Championship Series just days ago after a grueling battle with the disease. The game marked exactly 100 days since his life-saving transplant.
Brody's recovery
The backstory:
Last fall, Brody began experiencing severe stomach pain. A series of blood tests later revealed that the oldest son of the House family had bone marrow cancer.
Courtesy: The House Family
The Keystone Little League community immediately rallied around the family, dedicating the season to Brody while he sat out to undergo intensive medical treatment.
His brother's donation
Dig deeper:
As the family prepared to fight the disease, they searched for a bone marrow match and found the perfect donor within their own home.
Courtesy: The House Family
Brody's 6-year-old brother, Gabe, proved to be a perfect match and successfully donated his stem cells in March.
Gabe admitted, "I was scared for him that my blood cells wouldn't make it for him."
After ringing the bell at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital to celebrate his release, Brody returned to pitch alongside the same childhood friends who supported him from his very first head shave.
Milestone game celebration
What they're saying:
Reaching day 100 post-transplant is considered a major milestone. Brody's mother, Kim, noted that they initially expected him to be quarantined at home for six months.
Courtesy: The House Family
"In the bone marrow transplant world, bone marrow transplant day 100 is kind of like the finish line, a really big milestone, so the fact that he's even here is a win, so it really doesn't matter what happens today," she said. "The fact that he gets to play with his friends again, the same boys he's playing with since he was a little kid means a lot to all of us."
His sister, Lainey, added, "Oh, he's going to be fine, he can fight through this, he's a fighter."
Cancer free milestone
What's next:
Brody is now officially cancer free with a fully recovered immune system, and his bone marrow consists entirely of his little brother's cells.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from Brody's mother, Kim, and his siblings, Gabe and Lainey, who explained how the transplant worked and detailed the emotional return to the baseball field.