Thank You, North Texas

I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you to all the folks who got involved with our charity youth baseball tournament over the weekend, "Tear The Cover Off Cancer."

Baseball Nation did a phenomenal job running the event and getting games in on Sunday despite all that rain we got last week. The Children's Tumor Foundation and the folks from Derek Holland's 60'6" Foundation came up big as well. Workers and volunteers manned tables at parks all across North Texas to raise money for kids with cancer and kids with Neurofibromatosis, or NF.

Thank you also to all those teams and all those kids who took part in the event. Two hundred thirty teams from several states, and thousands of kids along with all of their fans raised more than $22,000 for the two charities.

The money you helped raise will go towards research to try and find cures. The money you helped raise is hope.

I was first introduced to NF about seven years ago when I met Jack Burke, A little boy on my son's baseball team, a team I happened to be coaching. Trust me when I tell you that Jack and his family appreciate everyone's hard work as well. You can find out more about Jack's story on his website, curenfwithjack.com.

When I moved to Texas I reached out to the folks with the Texas Neurofibromatosis Foundation and was introduced to Carson Peters. Peters, 14, was wearing a back brace for as long as 16 hours a day at the time, suffering through pain no teenager should have to deal with. That was a few years ago, and Carson has been doing well recently. He's even excelled on his high school golf team, but I know NF has to weigh on him and his family daily. And I know they too would want to thank everyone for their efforts this week.

I will also take the liberty of saying thank you from the Robinson family. Eight year old Ranger found out he has a brain tumor over the course of the last year. Ranger is a baseball player. He would have been playing in the event this weekend, but he and his mom, Linda already had plans to attend an NF conference this weekend in Atlanta. His brother played, though, and Ranger was there in spirit.

I felt his presence when his mom texted me a picture of Ranger meeting my friend Jack, who is now 13. In between innings of my son's baseball game I checked my phone to see their smiling faces, and it put a big 'ol smile on my face. Those are two of the bravest and most inspirational young men I've ever had the pleasure to meet. It was great to see them smiling together.

Cancer Sucks. NF sucks. Seeing any kid in pain, well it sucks. What doesn't suck is all the people who gave of themselves this weekend so that maybe we'll get so see an end to all of that pain in our lifetime.

Thank you to everyone who stepped up this weekend. And below are links to some of the past stories we've done here on NBC 5, and to for more information on the charities we worked with this week.

ONLINE: DerekHolland45.com/60-feet-6-foundation-1

ONLINE: ctf.org