PHOENIX — Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Merrill Kelly hosted a group of children battling cancer for a unique VIP experience at Chase Field on Saturday.
Twelve kids from the Arizona Cancer Foundation for Children had the opportunity to meet and sign customized Topps baseball cards for Diamondbacks players before Saturday’s game.
Groups of players walked up to the table set up by the home dugout, chatting and laughing with the kids while exchanging autographs. The baseball cards include fun facts about the kids, including their love of baseball.
“It’s really cool,” Kelly said. “To be able to flip the script and have them be the focus instead of us is really special. … To see them so positive, it puts things in perspective, right? If they’re smiling, then we really don’t have a reason not to.”
Merrill Kelly hosted 12 kids from the Arizona Cancer Foundation for Children at Chase Field on Saturday. They had the chance to meet and sign autographs for their favorite Diamondbacks players. pic.twitter.com/ShSwJ7fwHa
— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) July 19, 2025
Kelly said he got the idea from similar events hosted by players in his agency, Apex Baseball, including Seattle Mariners pitcher Bryan Woo. Kelly approached ACFC with the idea, and the foundation was enthusiastic about the opportunity.
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“They’re all so excited just to meet them and hang out and actually be on the field,” ACFC founder and president Chrisie Abramo said.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for these families. 80% of the families we serve are low income, so even just simply coming to a baseball game isn’t feasible. But to have them be treated like royalty and be on the field and actually get that face time with the players is priceless.”
The Arizona Cancer Foundation for Children is a nonprofit that supplies emotional, social and financial support to families with children battling cancer.
Programs include but are not limited to counseling, K9 therapy, an art studio, a toy store, a family room and financial support.
“We have a 12,000-square-foot facility on Scottsdale and Shea that serves as a respite daytime facility for the families,” Abramo said. “It’s just a really fun place and it’s actually a place where kids with cancer can be kids.”
Kelly said it was rewarding to see the kids’ personalities and how excited they were to be there.
A baseball season can be long and grueling, but an experience like Saturday’s, Kelly said, reinforces a perspective of the adversity others face every day.
“I think that was one of the coolest parts is you talk to any one of these kids and I don’t think if anyone just met these kids on the street, I don’t think you’d have any idea that they have gone through what they’ve gone through,” Kelly said.
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