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Rebecca, AnnMarie, Tim,
Ryan and Adam Gemelli at a Red Sox game this summer. (Photos courtesy of AnnMarie Gemelli) |
Last fall, at the end of the summer season, Wrentham Youth
Baseball coach Tim Gemelli felt pain in his shoulder while throwing batting
practice. The pain continued, so he went to the doctor for a routine checkup.
There was no way he could have expected the diagnosis that
was about to come his way.
It was determined in October 2013 that Tim had amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis (ALS), better known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. He held the
tragic news close for several months while he sought second and third opinions,
but finally told his fellow coaches (and good friends) in an emotional meeting
in January.
“It’s life-altering,” said Dan Collins, who has worked with
Tim on the coaching staff for the past four years. “It could happen to
anyone…it really hit home for all of us.”
Shortly after telling the coaches, the players were also
told. Collins explained, “Tim and [his son] Adam stayed home from practice and
we spent half an hour with the kids to explain ALS and the situation. I’m not
sure a lot of the kids knew what ALS was and they walked away with a lot of
questions.”
Collins, who was on the verge of tears while recalling the
meeting, continued, “The coaches and their sons were having a hard time keeping
it together…As a team, it really brought us together and rallied us for a great
season.”
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| Tim throws out the first pitch at Fenway Park. |
With the support of the Wrentham Youth Baseball Softball
Association (WYBSA) board and, in particular, the league’s president Gary
Campbell, Collins set about creating a YouCare site to fundraise for the
Gemelli family. So far, the site has raised more than $55,000 of the stated
goal of $100,000.
On Opening Day in April, Tim, who was already starting to
show the effects of his disease, threw out the first pitch. WYBSA sold
bracelets and t-shirts and promoted the “Pitch In for Tim” campaign.
“It’s been such an outpouring of support,” said Collins. “I
didn’t know what kind of community we lived in. The Wrentham community has
stepped up above and beyond.”
In early September, AnnMarie Gemelli spoke about the support
that the family has received from the league, players, friends, family, and the
Wrentham community.
“We were blown away,” said AnnMarie, echoing a phrase that
Collins used. “It’s been an incredible comfort knowing that we weren’t alone.
It’s unbelievable and we can’t thank them enough.”
She added, “It’s taken a horrible situation and made it
bearable because we’ve been surrounded by support.”
Tim continued with his coaching through the summer even as
the disease continued to take its toll. Although, he was not able to throw
batting practice or to take the field with the team, he was a constant presence
on the bench. He was the team’s scorekeeper, thanks to an iPad app that allowed
him to keep the book without needing to write, and he was an inspiration for
the players during the season.
“Baseball is his life,” said AnnMarie on speakerphone with
Tim by her side. “I would do anything it took to get him to the field because
he felt involved and never forgotten.”
Collins added, “The boys love him. The summer coach insisted
that he stay with the team as long as he wants. They’ve latched on to him and
that’s really cool.”
Tim’s presence on the bench has also given the players a
firsthand understanding of the devastating effects of ALS and of the need for
compassion.
AnnMarie explained, “We wanted the kids to feel comfortable
asking questions. We wanted it to be open and not be a secret…and for them to
not be afraid to be around people that are a little bit different.”
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| Tim and Adam at the Red Sox game. |
The WYBSA campaign to help the Gemelli family this summer
has coincided with the international Ice Bucket Challenge, spearheaded locally
by former Boston College and St. John’s Prep baseball player Pete Frates.
Frates has reached out to Tim on several occasions in the past year and
AnnMarie said that the viral campaign, which has raised more than $50 million
for ALS research, has been another comfort to the family in this difficult
time.
“We pray for a cure; we pray for treatment,” she said. “It
may not work for Tim, but we’re trying to take the good out of this
situation…we can face each day stronger seeing all of this happen.”
On July 5, on the 75th anniversary of Lou
Gehrig’s famous “I’m the luckiest man in the world” speech, Tim and the summer
league team were given a special treat when they were all invited to Fenway
Park. Tim threw out the first pitch and then the team celebrated on the
rightfield roof deck and watched the Red Sox take on the Baltimore Orioles.
“I admire his fearlessness even as the appreciation grows
fro what he has and what it is going to become,” said Collins. “He still
supports the kids…is still a husband and father…just like he always was.”
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Erik Sawyer, Gary Campbell,
Rick Sabatini, Mike Fisette and Dan Collins on the roof top at Fenway to support Tim. |
Collins and other volunteers from the community have been
working to retrofit the basement of Tim and AnnMarie’s home to make it more
comfortable and easier for Tim to manage. They are widening hallways to make it
easier for a wheelchair to get through, building lifts, and customizing rooms.
On the day of demolition in the basement, nearly 30 people showed up to lend a
hand.
“I feel so overwhelmed because I want to thank everyone,”
said AnnMarie who noted that the finishing touches on the basement were being
put in place while she spoke.
The future is still an unknown that the Gemelli family is
facing each and every day. As Tim’s ALS progresses, new and unexpected
challenges arise that must be dealt with.
“From one day to the next, you don’t know what is going to
change,” said AnnMarie. “Vans, wheelchairs - you don’t have time to wrap your
head around it.”
Even as she explains the toll that ALS is taking on Tim,
AnnMarie promises, “I anticipate that next spring…we’ll be out there [at the baseball
field] as much as we can.”
The support of the community has been a godsend for the
family to this point, but more is still needed. To donate to the Tim Gemelli
Family Fund, visit www.youcaring.com/medical-fundraiser/tim-gemelli-family-fund/137550.
