Back in play

Injured Lewes boy will throw Phillies’ first pitch Friday

A Lewes 4-year-old who lost his lower leg in a lawnmower accident last year will throw the first pitch at the Phillies’ season opener Friday.

Zeke Clark was riding on his father’s lap in June 2023 when he jumped off, attempting to leap onto a picnic table bench, according to his mother, Maria Clark Deforrest. His right leg was severed below the knee. Since then, he’s been a testament to children’s resilience and optimism.

“He’s not saying, ‘I can’t do this.’ He’s never once had a temper tantrum regarding his injuries. He’s not thinking about it that way,” Clark DeForrest said. “It’s really helped us, too, as parents, to reconsider the way we think about unfortunate things that can happen in our lives.”

Being chosen to throw the Phillies’ first pitch is especially important to Clark and his family because he is scheduled for surgery the next day. His surgeon, Nemours’ Dr. Jeanne Franzone, will join him on the mound.

“This gives us a great distraction,” Clark DeForrest said. “I know he’ll find comfort in knowing his surgeon is going to be celebrating with him at the game.”

In addition to the amputation of his lower leg, Clark’s femur was broken in the accident, and rods were surgically inserted to help the bone heal, according to Clark DeForrest. By October, Clark was in intensive therapy. He had just learned to walk again when doctors told his parents he’d need surgery again to remove the rods, among other things, Clark DeForrest said. That will mean a month or so in a wheelchair and learning to walk again.

Wilmington-area Nemours Children’s Health, the recently announced “official children’s health partner of the Philadelphia Phillies,” will host several promotions and events this year at Citizens Bank Park, including “Kids Run the Bases” on June 19 and July 31. The Phillies’ opener against the Atlanta Braves starts at 3:05 p.m. Friday.

The Clark family continues to face the costs of a growing child with a prosthetic leg. Donations can be made at helphoplive.org/campaign/22355.

Shannon Marvel McNaught reports on southern Delaware and beyond. Reach her at smcnaught @gannett.com or on Twitter @MarvelMcNaught.

WILLIAM BRETZGER/DELAWARE NEWS JOURNAL Delaware Military’s Reece Dodd hits in front of Appoquimink’s Christian Luc (14) in the Jaguars’ 3-0 win on Wednesday at Appoquinimink.

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY MARIA CLARK DEFORREST Zeke Clark practices pitching in his Phillies sweatshirt.

A then-3-year-old Zeke Clark of Lewes, pictured here at Nemours Children’s Hospital, lost his leg below the knee in a June 2023 lawnmower accident.