For Smeltzer, childhood cancer close to home

MINNEAPOLIS -- For the fourth consecutive season, Major League Baseball's clubs raised awareness for childhood cancer by wearing gold ribbon decals and wristbands during all games on Saturday in recognition of Childhood Cancer Awareness Day.

Those efforts to generate much-needed awareness resonated particularly strongly with Twins left-hander Devin Smeltzer, a survivor of childhood cancer himself, who has used his platform throughout his professional career to provide understanding, support and funds for patients and their families around the country.

"With childhood cancer, I feel like, believe it or not, a lot of times, it's overlooked when it comes to the research side of things," Smeltzer said. "I've seen the impact it has. Treatment-wise, they've been using the same treatments for the past 30 years and not much has changed. The more and more we can use this platform to bring awareness to the need to make advancements in treatments and stuff like that, it's huge."

The Twins hosted a special pregame ceremony to honor the Children's Cancer Research Fund (CCRF), a Minnesota-based nonprofit that has contributed $170 million to initiatives involving research, education, awareness and quality-of-life considerations for families affected by childhood cancer.

They also recognized the Cisweski family, who have raised nearly $80,000 for CCRF in memory of their late son, Nick. They were expected to meet on Saturday with Smeltzer, who has similarly devoted countless hours to financially and emotionally supporting patients and families.

Smeltzer was diagnosed with pelvic rhabdomyosarcoma, a cancer affecting his bladder, as a nine-year-old. Baseball was a significant part of his recovery throughout his journey to full remission, and as his stature has grown in the baseball world, so has his ability to positively affect the outlooks of families across America.

That's clear when you look at the responses to an Aug. 12 tweet by Smeltzer celebrating the anniversary of first hearing that he was cancer-free, where fans battling rhabdomyosarcoma all across Twins Territory expressed their congratulations and solidarity. And as he has travels across the country for baseball, Smeltzer makes an effort to develop close relationships with one or two patients and their families in every city.

Sometimes, Smeltzer will reach out to patients himself after getting contact information from his nurses, social media or other means. Other times, families in different cities have reached out to Smeltzer.

"Some of the biggest impacts that I had were other survivors, whether they were everyday Joes or high school kids that have been through it," Smeltzer said. "I looked up to them more than anybody, because they knew what I was going through.

"A doctor can say, 'You're going to be fine.' Your parents can say, 'You're going to be fine.' But they don't know what you're going through. They can't feel what you're going through. They haven't walked in your shoes. Being able to talk to other survivors, I think, is the best motivation that you can give a kid."

Smeltzer has been glad that his ascension to the Major Leagues has allowed for his "Catch Cancer Looking" campaign and personal outreach to take hold on a national level.

Earlier in his life, Smeltzer's outreach was largely limited to the tri-state area of New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware where he grew up. But now, he's able to do things like spend time with Drew -- a patient in Texas that he saw while the Twins were in Arlington to play the Rangers -- or remain in contact with John, who is battling leukemia in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.

Smeltzer's fundraising began with a big push during his senior year in high school, when he ran a strikeout campaign. He renewed the efforts when he entered professional baseball, and has seen his "Catch Cancer Looking" merchandise -- emblazoned with his likeness of glasses and a goatee -- really take off this season.

He donates all of the proceeds from the sales to Katie's Krusaders, an organization with St. Christopher's Hospital for Children in Philadelphia, to help the families of pediatric cancer patients with out-of-pocket expenses.

As Smeltzer continues to achieve his goals in his journey through baseball, he hopes to not only play for as long as he can, but also to spend that time affecting as many families as he can.

"My story is who I am, and I think it's made me into the man I am today -- not just the player -- but it's affected me on the field as much as off," Smeltzer said. "Going through something like that as a kid, it kind of puts life into perspective, and I've set my goals since I was nine, 10 years old and I've never looked back."