PHILADELPHIA — A few minutes before game time on Friday night, area children ranging from ages 4-15 who were battling cancer lined up along the Phillies’ first-base line. Front office members and members of the Nemours Children’s Health system stood in center field, holding a large yellow ribbon to honor those who have fought, or are fighting, childhood cancer.
Sean Kennedy, a 6-year-old Phillies fan who is battling cancer, stood at the plate to run the bases. Rhys Hoskins guided him down the first-base line He rounded second, high-fived the Washington Nationals players on the third-base line, and greeted the special guest of the evening at home plate: First Lady Jill Biden.
Biden was in attendance for the Phillies’ sixth consecutive childhood cancer awareness night. It was her first visit to Citizens Bank Park since her husband, President Joe Biden, took office in 2020.
Biden has been an advocate for cancer research and prevention since 1993, when four of her friends were diagnosed with breast cancer. Her stepson, Beau Biden, also passed away from brain cancer at age 46 in 2015.
After Kennedy crossed home plate, the national anthem played. The Phillies stood along the first-base line, many of them flanked by children who were battling cancer. Kyle Schwarber lingered on the field after the ceremony was over to sign bats and jerseys and hand out a few more high fives. Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos took some time to sign a few jerseys, bats, and casts as well.
The ceremony ended with the Phillie Phanatic gifting First Lady Biden with a gold scarf that read “Go Gold” on it. The gold ribbon is the international symbol of childhood cancer.
Biden famously is a longtime Phillies fan. She grew up in Willow Grove and was present at the ballpark every October during the Phillies’ five-year postseason run from 2007-11. She was present at the 2008 World Series while her husband campaigned for his then-running mate, former President Barack Obama.
“(She) is a Philly girl from her belt buckle to her shoe soles, and if I root for anybody but the Phillies, I’ll be sleeping in the Lincoln Bedroom alone,” President Biden joked to Los Angeles Dodgers players during their visit to the White House in 2021.
The Phillies will continue their childhood cancer awareness efforts ahead of Saturday’s game against the Nationals, when they hold a fashion show for children from the Kisses for Kyle Foundation, which assists families in the region who are battling childhood cancer. The show will take place in The Yard at Citizens Bank Park.
