CHICAGO — A 15-year-old girl who’s battling cancer had her dreams come true Friday when she met her hero — Chicago Cubs’ Javier Báez.
Longtime Cubs fan Brianna Barker, of McHenry, is awaiting a bone marrow transplant and the search for a donor is underway, but has been difficult.
Brianna was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at just 4-years-old. The teen was in remission for over 10 years, but the cancer came back this past May.
This time her diagnosis was acute lymphocytic leukemia.
On Friday, the Cubs and Advocate Children’s Hospital had a few surprises up their sleeve for Brianna. Not only would she experience her first Cubs game at Wrigley Field, she would meet her idol Javier Báez in-person!
Báez walked onto the field an with gifts for the teen that included his jersey and baseball — and shared a hug with her.
After spending some time chatting, the Cubs shortstop then took pictures with Brianna, her boyfriend, mom and dad —who all accompanied her to the game.
For more information on donating blood or bone marrow, go to: bethematch.org
