DALLAS -- Hearing that your child has a brain tumor is a tough enough situation for any parent. But when you get that news and are suddenly worried about whether you're going to be able to afford the proper treatment, well, that's a whole other level of heartbreak and stress.

When former Yankees Minor League pitcher Andy Carter found out his son Camden had a massive brain tumor on the right side of his head, he struggled to figure out how he would pay for Camden to get the best care possible.

Carter's baseball career didn't make him a household name, but it did make him a member of the baseball family -- and the Baseball Assistance Team (B.A.T.) looks out for family.

"You know, you're thrust into [that] situation as a parent -- I have two daughters as well -- and it's like shoot, there's this co-pay and that co-pay and that co-pay," Carter said at the B.A.T. Breakfast on Wednesday at the Winter Meetings. "B.A.T stepped in to help us maintain our regular lifestyle, and not just have to go completely under due to medical bills. And it's been incredible. The first direct impact on him was for his physical, speech and occupational therapy, which was three days a week for about a year."

This past spring, Camden displayed his ability to run and jump when he and Carter went along with B.A.T. representatives on their annual Spring Training tour of Major League camps.

Camden also showed off his tic-tac-toe skills, squaring off against the Mets' Francisco Lindor and Jazz Chisholm Jr., who was with the Marlins at the time.

B.A.T. makes a presentation to each team during the spring and relies heavily on the monetary donations of current players to support the former players, coaches, managers, scouts and front office workers.

"We have great support from the Commissioner, Rob Manfred, and Major League Baseball," B.A.T. president Buck Martinez said. "We have the support of the Major League Baseball Players Association and we wouldn't be an organization without the support of current players. Current players fund the entire organization, and they make charitable donations. The players are so generous. I think that's one thing that we should really make people aware of -- that the current players are the reason B.A.T. is able to help so many."

B.A.T. support is meant to serve as a bridge to help members of the baseball community get through a tough stretch -- and there have been plenty of those lately.

Recent hurricanes have devastated the lives of some former players, but B.A.T. has been there to help them rebuild. The organization also a scholarship program for Minor Leaguers so they are able to get an education and have a career after their playing days are over.

But for Camden, his story is a shining example of how much a little financial support can make all the difference in the world for a family in need of help.

"Just to speak honestly, none of this would have been possible without the support we got from B.A.T. and all the generous people in all the clubhouses around the game," Carter said.