The Texas Rangers beat the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 1 of the American League Division Series on Thursday, and there's a chance nobody is celebrating the victory more than a 9-year-old from Whitesboro.
Kaden Insall was born with a congenital heart defect, and a leaky valve caused a backflow into his heart, which enlarged it.
Five weeks ago he underwent open-heart surgery in Houston.
"If the heart surgery did not happen, it would've been life threatening," said Kaden's father, Derek Insall. "I was picturing open-heart surgery, and I thought I would be carrying Kaden into the house."
But now Kaden is up on his own two feet. In a few days, he'll be able to throw a baseball again.
"I was feeling so horrible before going through it (heart surgery)," said Kaden. "I feel pretty good now."
When NBC 5 told the Texas Rangers about Kaden's condition, the team put together a swag bag filled with Rangers merchandise.
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Baseball and faith play an important role in Kaden's recovery.
"The Rangers and watching the Rangers has been a big part of going through this," Derek Insall said.
"He a had a lot of prayers going towards him, and that's what pulled him through,” said Kaden's mother, Kaci Insall. "We're just waiting to play baseball again."
