When life throws you a curveball, hit it out of the park

Marauders pitcher Kyle Angelow wants you to ask him why he’s bald.

His head isn’t quite bare anymore – it’s been a month since he and the rest of the Marauders ball players shaved their domes in support of childhood cancer research – but that doesn’t mean Angelow is tired of telling his story of surviving childhood cancer.

“I’m able to tell my story – it would be a waste not to use it to make an impact,” he says.

The communications and philosophy student was just five years old when he was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer known as Ewing’s sarcoma.

Within the year he had undergone two 13-hour-long reconstructive surgeries, during which doctors removed the thigh bone from one leg and replaced it with the calf bone from the other.

The operations left his right leg shorter than his left and limited his mobility and strength.

After years of chemotherapy, Angelow started playing baseball, teaching himself to pitch despite his physical limitations.

Last month he organized the country’s first BaseBald fundraising event, in support of the fight against childhood cancers.

BaseBald began in the US as a way for teams to raise funds for and show solidarity with children fighting cancer.

The event saw the Marauders baseball team and coaches shave their heads after their double-header against Laurier at Hamilton’s Bernie Arbour Stadium. They also raised approximately $14,000 for Childhood Cancer Canada.

“It’s a reminder that we’re playing for something bigger than ourselves,” says Angelow. “I feel like I owe something, in a way.”

The right-handed hurler continues to raise money, and hopes to organize an even larger BaseBald event next season.

“There’s no point being complacent,” he says. “Every little bit counts. It all adds up.”