Inside Pitch: 2023 Rhode Island Thunder Standout Hannah Greer… “How We’re Helping Support Malia Jusczyk in Her Battle with Neuroblastoma”

By @BruntjensElla

Malia Jusczyk (left) and Rhode Island Thunder player Libby Walsh. Libby and our blogger Hannah Greer are leading their Rhode Island Thunder team’s efforts to raise money and awareness of the type of cancer Malia is battling.

Hannah Greer is one of the fast-rising 2023 prospects in the Northeast and recently was honored as a selection in the Top 40 of the 2023 Extra Elite 100

The Rhode Island Thunder 16U National team star comes from a long line of softball standouts as she wrote about in a blog regarding her New Yorker’s family history and ties to Rhode Island… you can read about it HERE and in January a write-up where she shared winter training tips.

Today, Hannah writes about how her RI Thunder 16U National team and how the coaches and players are helping a sweet young girl named Malia Jusczyk, who is battling a nasty cancer of the nerve cells called neuroblastoma… and how we all can help too!

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For me being a part of a team is much more than playing on the field together, it’s about building relationships and supporting each other along with our communities.

The fall of 2020 was my first year on Thunder and teammate Libby Walsh and I developed a strong friendship as we’re both middle infielders and spent a lot of time together.

Libby Walsh is also an honoree in the Extra Elite 100.

When Libby shared Malia’s story of her battle with neuroblastoma to me and our team, I was deeply saddened that this was happening to such a young girl. My own mom was diagnosed with breast cancer when I was 5 and is an 11-year cancer survivor, so Malia’s story more than touched my heart.

I wanted to support Libby in her quest to support Malia, so I am dedicating this blog to Malia and to help bring awareness to neuroblastoma.

Libby met Malia through her younger sister’s travel softball team in Massachusetts where she volunteered as a coach which led to developing a relationship with Malia and her family.

Libby once told me:

“Malia reminds me of why I fell in love with the game of softball. But she’s really taught me how to be positive. No matter what situation you’re in, you can always be positive and you can find something good in every situation.”

Malia’s story not only touched Libby and I, but our entire team.

T-shirts made by the RI Thunder team for Malia and the foundation.

We wanted to help her and others with neuroblastoma in any way possible so…

... for every home run that we hit during this summer season we will be donating $5 to the For Kids’ Sake Foundation.

We also are having shirts and hair bows made that we will wear together as a team to bring as much awareness to Malia’s fight as we can.

Our summer season is dedicated to Malia!

What is Neuroblastoma?

Neuroblastoma is a cancer of the nerve cells that mainly affects children before the age of 5 years and rarely occurs in adults. Every 16 hours a child dies from neuroblastoma.

Malia’s Story

At the age of almost 3, Malia had belly pain. The doctors thought she was constipated, and Malia could not stop crying for days. Her parents demanded an ultrasound in the middle of the night, which said that her issue was a urinary tract infection.

Hair bows the Rhode Island Thunder 16U team made for Malia,

Nothing that the doctors prescribed helped but, eventually, an MRI found a tumor which was the size of a grapefruit surrounding her adrenal gland and kidney. The doctors did a tumor resection the next day in Orlando, Florida.

They staged it as stage 4 neuroblastoma. Her parents then consulted with Boston Children’s Hospital and hopped on a flight as soon as Malia’s scar was healed enough to fly. Malia then started six rounds of chemotherapy, followed by a tumor and adrenal gland removal.

The doctors decided it would be best for Malia to temporarily keep the diseased kidney so she would have a better chance of surviving her stem cell transplant. Once she got through the stem cell transplant, they then immediately had another surgery to remove the kidney that still had cancer on it.

Next Malia had to suffer through 13 rounds of proton radiation followed by six rounds of immunotherapy. The immunotherapy was done to help her immune system fight any hidden dormant neuroblastoma cells. Malia and her family went to Michigan for a DFMO treatment.

Malia has lost her adrenal gland, a kidney, high frequency hearing, thyroid function and numerous other issues and that was just during the first battle.

She is now 12 and is fighting with neuroblastoma once again.

My Interview with Malia

What are some of your hobbies?
I play softball, soccer, tennis and basketball, and I love to bake.

What are your favorite positions in softball?
Pitcher and second base.

Malia got to meet actress Valerie Bertinelli via a Zoom call and even cook with her virtually!

What is your favorite movie?
“Just Go With It” with Adam Sandler.

Who is your biggest role model?
Valerie Bertinelli. I got to do a Zoom call with her and make some food on Zoom with her. I love her show and the kids baking championship.

What are you most proud of?
Being a good friend and being good at sports.

Who do you enjoy being around the most?
I love spending time with my family on vacations.”

Interview with Malia’s Parents, Glen & Meg Jusczyk

What are five words to describe Malia?
Perfect, kind, hard-working, adventurous, fun-loving.

What has Malia taught you?
What hasn’t Malia taught us? Being in this second battle, we have realized the daily grind of life is not a sustainable lifestyle for us. We need to really just do whatever makes Malia happy and try not to keep up with expected norms and we really need to find what means the most in her life to her and pursue with the hard work and grit only Malia possesses.

What is most inspiring about Malia?
She has been through so much adversity and challenges, in every possible way, but it never deters her; she never quits and always tries her hardest and never wants to be given special treatment. Malia just wants to compete and thrive as a normal kid.

The For Kids’ Sake Foundation

Malia’s parents told me The For Kids’ Sake Foundation was created after Malia’s first battle because “people were so kind to our family and we wanted to give back to other families and help find a cure for this monster.”

Meg and Glen founded the foundation and Meg has been the volunteer CEO since Malia was in her first battle. The goals of the foundation are to help fund research that will eradicate neuroblastoma and to donate to families in any way that will help them battle as a family.

For every home run hit by a member of the Rhode Island Thunder 16U National team this summer, $5 will be donated to the foundation… and, hopefully, their bats are good for a lot of long balls!

How You Can Help!

Even though cancer is the No. 1 disease killer of children, only 3.8% of cancer research funding goes toward pediatric cancer.

Any donation helps!

Click HERE for info on the For Kids’ Sake Foundation
Click HERE to donate to the foundation
Click HERE to learn more about fundraisers for the foundation

— Hannah Greer, Rhode Island Thunder 16U National