LEHI, Utah — A five-year-old girl celebrated a special milestone in her cancer treatment at Intermountain Primary Children’s hospital in Lehi on Thursday. As excited as she was her celebration, her face lit up when she saw her "Baseball Boys" there to cheer her on.
Life can sometimes throw curveballs your way. "It’s been such a long journey, it’s been two and a half years to get to this point, and we’ve kind of not had life with her beyond this,” said Alexis Grove, Delilah's mom.
WATCH | 5-year-old rings the bell after her cancer treatment with her ‘Baseball Boys’
Delilah is a little girl who has spent about half her life in and out of hospitals, but never without a smile on her face. She was diagnosed with high-risk type of leukemia, and has been a fighter through her treatment.
"There’s been some moments where it has been really scary and unsure of what that future was going to look like for her,” said Alexis. “So, it is a huge relief that she is here and she is strong and she’s happy and she can start enjoying kindergarten and the rest of her life.”
Delilah's smile gets so much bigger when she sees her "Baseball Boys". For every swing her sickness took at her, she had a team standing strong by her.
"When I met her, it was probably like the best day of my life, my life changed,” said Brevin Reese, one of Delilah's "Baseball Boys".
Last year, through the NixonStrong tournament to raise awareness about childhood cancer and support families going through these challenges, Delilah was matched with an under-11 boys’ baseball team from Cache County. She's been part of their team ever since.
They proudly wear "Lila’s Squad’" on their jerseys and care for her so much.
"Nine new sons that we never had, they just make her so happy,” said Delilah’s dad, Andrew Grove. “When she couldn’t go to daycare or make friends that way, she had these friends that would video chat her and send her messages and come to her dance recitals so it really changed everything.”
Boys who live three hours away from Delilah, but have truly shown up as teammates on her tough journey.
"She means a lot to us, she means everything,” they said together.
So, as she was celebrating the end of her chemotherapy and being cancer-free, they couldn’t let her do ring the bell alone.
As Delilah hit a different kind of home run, her baseball boys cheered on, they brought her a special bat for too with a message for her and the names of her teammates.
Both Andrew and Alexis said the boys made this tough road easier for them. Even when Delilah was sick in the hospital a few months ago, they came to be with her, spend time with her, and keep her spirits high.
The Grove family has traveled across the Wasatch Front to watch the boys’ games, and Delilah even painted some of the boys’ nails in the dugout.
Andrew said he is so thankful for their coach and families who helped make these visits possible. And for the doctors, nurses and staff who have taken care of their family all these months.
Next up, is a special Disney World trip for the Grove family, which was Delilah's Make-A-Wish request. They couldn’t travel during her treatment, so are looking forward to this experience together.
Delilah ringing her bell isn’t just a big moment for her and her family, it’s a win for this whole team, with her "Baseball Boys.’"
“She's not saying goodbye to them any time soon,” Alexis said.
