Lifelong Cardinals Fan Cheered in Spirit Sunday as MLB Stood Up To Cancer

Major League Baseball dedicated Sunday’s Game Four of the World Series at Busch Stadium to advancing the fight against cancer. Arthur Hawkins, a lifelong Cardinals fan, was not be able to be there Sunday but was there in spirit for every moment of the heartbreaking defeat. Arthur lost his personal battle with cancer in May but before he left us, the St. Louis Cardinals generosity made his last month one of the most memorable.  

Arthur had been a hospice patient at Northview Village in St. Louis and was in the final stages of a long fight with cancer when he realized his final ‘Dream’.

He had not been to a game in many years and dreamt of one more afternoon at the ballpark.  Hospice Dreams, a non-profit foundation founded by Passages Hospice to fulfill patients unmet wishes, worked with the St. Louis Cardinals to make Arthur’s wish a reality.

On May 2, Arthur was a guest of honor at Busch Stadium and was given the opportunity to spend the afternoon at the ballpark with his best friend Cleveland.  So as the Cardinals took on the Cincinnati Reds, Arthur was decked out in Cardinals navy and red complete with a STL cap.  He enjoyed the day even getting out of his wheelchair to do his homerun dance in celebration of Carlos Beltran’s homerun. Arthur left Busch Stadium that day with Cardinals souvenirs and a smile on his face.

However, Arthur’s dream did not stop there for word of Arthur’s story and love for the Cardinals spread and Arthur was chosen by the St. Louis community to throw out the first pitch at Rally Saint Louis Day on May 19.  For Arthur this was a dream come true. Arthur, who sadly passed away ten days later, described that day as the best day of his life. While Arthur lost his fight, the St. Louis Cardinals and the community of St. Louis made his last month spectacular.  This past Sunday the Cardinals joined Major League Baseball in remembering Arthur and support the fight for a cure.