Machine gets behind young fan fighting cancer
The Ohio Machine and its fans have a chance to support one of their own tonight.
Hilliard Davidson freshman goalie Leanna Ramirez, who is undergoing aggressive treatment for brain cancer, will serve as a honorary captain for the Machine the rest of the season, beginning tonight for a Major League Lacrosse game against the Boston Cannons at Fortress Obetz at 7.
Ramirez was diagnosed in March with ependymoma, a rare tumor, and the 15-yearold has since undergone two 12-hour surgeries and now is enduring grueling bouts of chemotherapy and radiation. This might be the only game all season the lacrosse fan will be able to attend because of her treatments.
The Machine reached out to Ramirez and her family and devised a plan to give $5 of every ticket purchase to her YouCaring fund on her behalf. Fans can take part by using the code "LEANNA."
Coach Bear Davis is especially moved by the franchise's support of Ramirez. He helped coach middle-school teams that Leanna played on with his daughter Sadie, who is one year younger.
"This is a league-wide initiative, and it makes a lot of sense to build this connection in our backyard," Davis said. "The players have really gotten behind this, and we're all solidly behind Leanna. In a way, this allows us to return to the roots of the game. When it was originated, the game of lacrosse was a medicine game … a ceremonial game of healing. Hopefully, we can help this young lady in her healing process."
John Ramirez, Leanna's father, said the family has been overwhelmed by community support and by the Machine's gesture.
"There have been a lot of different groups, people and organizations who have come forward and we're appreciative of all it, but for Leanna being associated with the Machine is kind of a big deal because it's lacrosse, 7 tonight Fortress Obetz, 1841 Williams Road Ohio 4-2, Boston 2-4
and that's her favorite sport," he said. "She's really excited about it, but it's almost a little overwhelming because of everything she's going through right now. As a family, we're sort of overwhelmed by everything, too. When you're blindsided by something like this, every little thing builds your spirits."
After being told about Ramirez’s situation by Machine director of communications Kaley Rentz, captains Dominique Alexander and Logan Schuss visited Ramirez at Nationwide Children’s Hospital two weeks ago.
“As an organization, we got her a stick and some clothing, and we just sat there for a while and talked about lacrosse,” Alexander said. “Even though she uses a breathing tube, Leanna was able to communicate with us. It was really cool to meet her, and we’re proud to reach out and try to have some impact. Her father told us afterwards they hadn’t seen Leanna smile like that in a long time. She’s a really neat kid. I can’t imagine how tough of a situation this must be for a teenage girl who should be enjoying her summer vacation. She’s in our thoughts all the time.”
Alexander added that players are wearing a bracelet with a paw print (representing Davidson's wildcat mascot) and a Supergirl logo in support of Ramirez.
Ramirez will be part of one the biggest days of the season for the franchise and local lacrosse fans. Before the Machine-Cannons face off, Fortress Obetz will play host to the Ohio High School Senior All-Star Challenge, a round-robin event consisting of 66 players from the North, Central and South regions. Games are slated for 3, 4 and 5 p.m. and will be followed by a concert.