New York Mets‘ first baseman Pete Alonso put the team’s fans in his pocket not only with his 53 home runs last seasons, but also with hard work, dedication, and charisma. One of those fans is Kathleen Selig, an 82-year-old woman who was recently diagnosed with small cell lung cancer. According to doctors, she only has weeks to live.
“She turned 82 in September [and] is a diehard Mets fan and has been since the start,” her granddaughter, Ally Henglein, wrote in a Twitter post, as MLB.com explains. “Since the mid-1960s, she has lived and breathed everything Mets.”
Henglein, knowing the diagnosis and the prognosis, understands her grandmother’s concern about the coronavirus outbreak forcing MLB to postpone the start of the season until further notice.
Henglein told that her grandma grew up in Brooklyn and went to ballgames with her father. The lady wears the same New York Mets’ necklace every day for the 18 years that Henglein has known her. She paints her fingernails blue and orange every day.
A very special gift from the Mets
On her Twitter post, Henglein ended with a request to the Mets: get in contact with Selig in any way! Show her that you appreciate her fandom.
That’s when Alonso and Mets manager Luis Rojas came into play. Both of them called Selig on Wednesday and had nothing but kind words for her. They showed her they appreciated having a special fan like her. Selig cried and said: “You have no idea what this is doing for me,” and, ” … I love you. You have no idea, I love you.”
A heartfelt surprise for a very special fan. 🧡💙@Pete_Alonso20 and Luis Rojas gave a call to @allyhenglein’s grandmother, Kathleen, who has been a die-hard #Mets fan her entire life and was recently diagnosed with cancer. https://t.co/J5kEKn8IB4 pic.twitter.com/AAp7Svgp8R
— New York Mets (@Mets) March 18, 2020
Alonso wrote via Twitter: “Sending my love to your grandma. It’s stories like these that make me extra proud to be a Met. Check your DM, I’d love to send her something special.”
Sending my love to your grandma. It’s stories like these that make me extra proud to be a Met. Check your DM, I’d love to send her something special https://t.co/GYvgmTbo74
— Pete Alonso (@Pete_Alonso20) March 18, 2020
“We’re touched to be in touch with fans like you,” Rojas told her on the call. “Your granddaughter did a great job in a post and it touched all of us.”