Jensen Vaught's wish is coming true.
Vaught, an 11-year-old from Corryton, will get to meet his favorite baseball player, Mike Trout, the star outfielder of the Los Angeles Angels. The experience is being organized by Make-A-Wish East Tennessee.
Vaught finished chemotherapy treatment for anaplastic large cell lymphoma, a rare form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, in November. On July 23, he walked into The Press Box, an indoor baseball and softball facility in Knoxville, to cheers from friends and family for a send-off celebration ahead of his trip.
"I was speechless," Vaught said, wearing a Tennessee hat signed by a half-dozen UT football players. "I'm so excited to meet Mike Trout. It's been my dream for a while."
Vaught, a passionate baseball fan and
player, has returned to the diamond since finishing treatment. He said he plays "everywhere except first base, because I'm not tall."
Trout became his favorite player after reading a book about him in second grade, and it was his wish to meet him. Once he told the team at Make-A-Wish, the gears started turning to make it happen.
Zoey Tonkin, the wish coordinator for East Tennessee, reached out to a Make-A-Wish chapter in California and the organization's entertainment and sports relations team to start planning the experience. The chapter in California will handle on-site logistics, including transportation and a hotel — and a game in Anaheim featuring Trout and the Angels.
"Wishes are just truly so special," Tonkin said. "There's no way to describe it, and once you see your first one or get to be a part of it, you're kind of hooked. Wishes are medicine. Kids are going through so much more than most of us ever have to go through, and they do it with a brave face most of the time. It's just special to give them something to look forward to and some light at the end of the tunnel."
The Knoxville Smokies gave Vaught a pile of gifts, including multiple jerseys, a hat and a bobblehead. The Smokies mascot Jackson was there to greet Vaught and take photos. After that, Vaught moved to the batting cages for a game of Wiffle ball with his friends.
Soon, he'll get to meet his favorite player and watch his favorite team.
"I didn't know it was gonna happen, so I really don't have any questions planned," Vaught said. "I might just have to make one up when I'm on the plane or something."
Emmett Siegel covers Tennessee baseball for Knox News. Email: emmett.siegel@knoxnews.com; X: @EmmettSiegel_
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: 11-year-old East Tennessee cancer survivor to meet Mike Trout with Make-A-Wish
