ATLANTA — We are used to seeing Dansby Swanson make flashy plays on the field but it’s what he did off of it that’s catching our attention.
A fan who just completed chemotherapy came to a home game last week, hoping to meet the shortstop.
Tina Jackson said she felt a little weird about making the sign because she didn’t want to use her illness to get her anything special but her friends finally convinced her to do it.
The sign reads chemo, check. Go to a Braves game, check. Meet Dansby… here’s what happened next.
Tina Jackson said she’s loved the Braves her whole life.
“In 1974, my daddy was watching when Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s record, and he said, ‘baby come watch this’,” she said.
Jackson and her dad always watched the games together, until he passed away in 1994.
“In 1995, I was watching as the Braves won the World Series, and I was wearing the hat I had bought my daddy at Fulton County Stadium, I got it back after he passed, so they’ve been a part of my life as long as I can remember,” she said.
Though she lost her dad, she never lost her love of the game.
She found comfort in the team again when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer this year.
“Especially during treatment, I spent a lot of time on the couch, so they were with me through the whole thing. It’s been a grind this year, but it looks like we are going to make it,” she said.
When she was finishing treatment, she bought tickets to a game to celebrate, and Jackson and her friends had to do it in style.
“There were three of us with Dansby on them, front and back,” she said.
Her shirt and her sign caught the eye of someone standing on the field.
“This man motioned for me to come down, so the usher sent me down, and I found out later that it was Dansby’s daddy,” she said.
She said Dansby Swanson’s dad called his son over to sign her jersey and take a picture.
“It was just so quick, I wish I could have slowed the moment down,” she said
Another Braves fan posted pictures of the moment online and they were shared thousands of times.
“It means the world to me. I really do try and be kind to people, and make a difference. So, if someone saw that and it made them smile, or they’re going through something of their own, you can get through it. Just be positive and stay the course and you can get through it,” she said.
She said she hopes her journey can inspire people and that her enthusiasm can make them laugh.
“After Dansby had signed everything and I had gone back to my seat, this lady came by, and she said, ‘Can I look at your shirt?’ Jackson said, ‘yes, ma’am’ and so I show her front and back, and she said ‘wooooo, that’s just a little much’, and she walks off. And the usher told me that’s Dansby’s Mother!,” she said.
So, Dansby’s parents both got in on the fun but most of all, Jackson said she hopes Dansby knows how much his kindness meant to her.
Jackson said she’s not done rooting for the Braves. She wants to see them play at every stadium they play in the U.S.!