The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
Teammates surprise player after surgery
Oneida teammates surprise Samual Gaudet after second baseman returns from surgery
ONEIDA, N.Y. » When one of their players missed opening day because of surgery, the Oneida Little League got together to give hima day of his own.
Samual Gaudet, 8, of Durhamville, plays second base for Oneida Little League. Besides baseball, he also plays football, basketball, soccer, swims and even took first place in the Oneida Elks Lodge Hoop Shoot for boys aged 8 to 9.
So when Samual’s father Thomas and his mother Lisa noticed he was slowing down, they knew something was wrong.
Thomas said Samual was diagnosed with a dermoid cyst that was recently removed fromhis L4 spinal canal attached to his nerve endings and taking up around 70 percent of the cavity.
“Samualwas diagnosed around the end of March. There was a decline in his gait, his speed and acceleration from November and through basketball season,” Thomas Gaudet, who is also OLL coach, said. “He plays sports around the clock.”
While the rest of Samual’s team was getting ready for opening day, Samual was at Boston Children’s Hospital undergoing surgery.
Dr. Edward Robert Smith, the director of neurology, spinal, and
brain surgery, operated on Samual, Thomas said. “I consider him my hero.”
Samual was nervous before having surgery, but was also thinking about opening day and missing it with his friends.
“I was just thinking ‘I missmy team’,” Samual said.
To Oneida Little League President Jim Rafte, it was an easy decision: surprise Samual with an opening day of his own. And while they didn’t sing the national anthem, Michelle Stuart and Alexander Farwell sang “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” and Samual’s brother Grady helped him throw out the first pitch.
“I wanted to thank everyone for coming down tonight. We were all here for opening day, but one player couldn’tmake it,” Rafte said. “He won’t be able to play baseball this year, but he came down to cheer on his team. On behalf of Oneida Little League, I’d like to welcome home Samual Gaudet and his family.”
“I just thought it was going to be a normal game,” Samual said.
While Samual can’t play ball this season, he’s been remaining active by going for walks with his friend Brayden Hull, 8.
Brayden has been friends with Samual for around 4 to 5 years andwas sad his friend wasn’t going to be at opening day. But when word got it theywere going to surprise him, Brayden couldn’t wait.
“He was surprised,” Brayden said. “We sent hima package when he was in the hospital and we came over when he came home to his house. We walked.”
Samual said he was thankful for his team and everyone surprising him. His mother said he should back and more active by early August.