community life Dravecky poses with fans at the baseball fields at the Veterans Home in Yountville. All photos by Art & Clarity Dave Dravecky’s story is one of 58 www. n A PAVA L L E Y L I F Emagaz ine .com finding hope, courage, and perseverance in the midst of overwhelmingly dark uncertainty. In 1988, Dravecky was at the peak of his baseball career as a pitcher for the San Francisco Giants. He was playing the game of his childhood dreams and enjoying his beautiful family. He had helped get the season off to a great start with his opening day victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. But all of that was overshadowed later that fall by the discovery of cancer in his left pitching arm. After battling the disease and defying medical odds, he came back to the mound a year later. Although doctors believed that, “short of a miracle,” Dave would never pitch again in the Major Leagues, he threw a 4-3 win for the Giants that day. However, and quite sadly, his comeback was short-lived. Just five days later, he threw “the pitch that could be heard round the world.” During the delivery of the ball, his pitching arm audibly split in two. As he tumbled to the ground, his mind was filled with doubt and fear. His cancer had returned; with an arm that refused to heal, Dave decided to retire from baseball in November, 1989. Ultimately, his left limb, shoulder blade, and left side of his collarbone were amputated so that the cancer could not spread. Dave tells a story that exemplifies how he navigated suffering and loss through hope and endurance from a Christian perspective. He will be sharing that story October 4 as the keynote speaker at “Mindful Celebration: A Day of Awareness” at the Napa Valley Performing Arts Center at Lincoln Theater (see page 64). Former Giants pitcher Dave Dravecky inspires others with the story of his return to faith by Kari Ruel, Hannah Michele Lambert , & Jud ith Caldwel
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