When doctors told Daniel Trush's parents to say goodbye to their 12-year-old son, they refused.
ESPN reports that Trush collapsed after taking a shot during a basketball game 14 years ago. What had been waved off as innocuous headaches, turned out to be five brain aneurysms, and one had ruptured. Doctors couldn’t stop the bleeding, and told family members they had only one last, risky resort: a lumbar drain.
Daniel’s parents agreed to the procedure, which left their son in a coma for a month.
"There was no decision to be made," Daniel’s father, Ken, told ESPN. "We said go ahead."
On Monday, the life-long Yankees fan shared the stage with some of his favorite players at New York’s Brooks Atkinson Theater for a two-fold celebration, ESPN noted. It marked Trush’s Broadway debut and the kick off for Helping Others Preserve and Excel Week. By offering up acts of kindness throughout HOPE Week, the New York Yankees aim to inspire others to better their communities.
Trush is one of five honorees who will be granted “a day of their dreams” this week.
Fifteen Haitian refugees from the Ss. Joachim & Anne School in Queens were treated to a tour of Yankee Stadium on Wednesday, according to MLB.com. The group of 7- to 13-year-old students watched batting practice and met star players Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada and CC Sabathia.
"I'm always watching the New York Yankees on TV, but I never knew I was going to go to Yankee Stadium," Charles Boute told ESPN.
Next up on the Yankees’ goodwill tour is Staten Island, where players and coaches will help 17-year-old Megan Ajello raise money for the Special Olympics, a LoHud Yankees blog reports. Ajello has cerebral palsy and scoliosis and has hosted a charity lemonade stand since 2006.
WATCH Swisher and Martin pound on the drums during HOPE Week: