NewsMcCann rallies around children with cancer
Catcher raises funds through banquet, softball game
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By Mark Bowman / MLB.com
11/13/09 10:32 PM EST
ATLANTA -- It has been six years since a six-year-old Andrew Vassil found himself undergoing radiation treatments for a rare, inoperable brain tumor known as a hypothalamic juvenile pilocytic astrocytoma.Now an active 13-year-old who enjoys playing baseball and basketball and running cross-country, Vassil fights to raise funds for the Rally Foundation, which assists in the battle to find cures for those afflicted with childhood cancer.
"He's truly an incredible kid," said the Braves' three-time All-Star catcher, Brian McCann. "He's an inspiration to a lot of people."
McCann and his wife, Ashley, have spent the past couple of years proudly devoting time and money to the Rally Foundation, which was formed three years ago by Dean Crowe, who gained the inspiration after watching one of her son's youth baseball teammates battle through cancer and the long-term effects of the treatments.
Crowe's fight was significantly bolstered this week through the efforts of McCann, who staged the inaugural Brian McCann Rally Celebrity Softball Game at Georgia Tech's Russ Chandler Stadium on Friday night and a successful fund-raising banquet that raised $276,500 on Thursday night.
"Brian and Ashley are really involved with the kids, deeply and personally," Crowe said.
Though he must wear a back brace 20 hours a day, Vassil is a passionate kid who truly became an inspiration to those who attended Thursday night's banquet.
Former Braves favorite Andruw Jones highlighted Friday night's events by winning the home run derby and then homering from both sides of the plate. His seventh-inning blast, from the right side, soared over the 400-foot mark of the stadium's green wall.
But the 10-time Gold Glove Award winner's greatest contribution came on Thursday, when he urged Vassil to provide some motivation during the auction.
At Jones' urging, Vassil took the microphone and revealed that he would shave his head if somebody provided a donation of $10,000. Don and Terri Elias of Donte Properties met the challenge, and the inspirational teenager proudly kept his end of the bargain. At the end of the second inning on Friday, McCann did the honors and shaved Vassil's head.
"He's just a great guy," Vassil said of McCann. "He's so popular and very supportive. That really makes you feel good."
The McCanns truly touched Crowe last winter when they went to a crowded funeral home to pay their respects to Alexa Rohrbach, who was diagnosed with cancer when she was one and then fought long enough to see the sixth grade.
Crowe saw that the McCanns were at the back of a line of approximately 600 guests, but she quickly learned that they had no desire to accept her offer to move to the front. Instead they waited 2 1/2 hours to pay their respects to a young girl they had met through their hospital visits.
"I'd say there were 600 new Brian and Ashley McCann fans, and not because he's an All-Star baseball player," Crowe said.
Early Thursday evening, McCann learned that he had captured his third Silver Slugger Award in the span of just four years. Still, when he looks back on this week, his memories will focus on Vassil and the other children who benefit from the efforts of the Rally Foundation.
"Any time a kid suffers from anything, it hits you pretty hard," McCann said. "That was my biggest reason for getting involved in this. For me, there shouldn't be any kids that have to go through something like cancer."
Mark Bowman is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
