A Stayner man who has spent his life giving back has been recognized for his efforts by the Toronto Blue Jays.
Raymond Hardisty battled cancer as a child, and his mom says the prognosis at that time wasn’t good.
“We were told when he was five months old he wouldn’t be around when he was two.”
But Raymond beat those odds and is now a 29-year-old man who has raised more than 30-thousand dollars for The Children’s Miracle Network.
On Thursday, the announcer for the Toronto Blue Jays surprised Hardisty by telling him he’d been chosen to throw the ceremonial first pitch at an upcoming game.
“I hope I can do it. I hope I can throw because I have difficulties, you know, with my hands.”
Hardisty received a bone marrow transplant when he was a child and the drugs he required because of that transplant affected his joints.
Instead of focusing on his health problems, Hardisty says he raises money, so every child gets the chance to live a full life.
The Toronto Blue Jays plan to have Hardisty on the mound at the Rogers Centre on August 8 when they take on the Red Sox.
