LAS VEGAS, Nevada (FOX5) — During their run through the playoffs, Paseo Verde’s Little League team was inspired by a local 10-year-old who plays an age group below them in their league.
“This is all for him,” Paseo Verde pitcher Gunner Gaudin told FOX5. “I play for him. I’m sure the team does, too.”
Colston Delk, who played for Paseo Verde on the 10U team, was diagnosed with stage four neuroblastoma in April.
“It started in my right leg and then spread to my abdomen,” Delk explained. “They cut open my abdomen and removed the cancer, so now it’s just in my bone marrow.”
Although recovery from a recent surgery went well, five trips to Salt Lake City for chemotherapy were less promising.
“We got the results on his tumor and it showed that 95% of the cells were still alive. This means the chemotherapy was not as effective as we had hoped,” said Colston’s mother, Samantha Delk.
Samantha is amazed by Colston’s fighting spirit and optimism.
“He never complained once,” she said. “He never felt sorry for himself. He never said, ‘My life sucks.'”
The Delks had to adjust their lives, including their 13-year-old big sister Addison, who remembered how much her interactions with her little brother had changed in such a short time.
“I was always jumping on the trampoline, drawing, painting or playing games,” she said through tears. “And now I’m sitting in the hospital, holding his hand or reading a book. It’s just a big change because it’s hard to see someone like him in the hospital.”
Despite the enormous hardships, Samantha saw how the Paseo Verde team encouraged Colston.
“They were always asking about Colston and what they could do for him,” she said. “They were always there.”
Colston has also developed a friendship with another team – the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball.
“I got to meet all the Angels players and staff, and that was really nice of them,” Colston said.
Colston is a catcher, as is Logan O’Hoppe, who plays backstop for the Angels. The Delk family gave O’Hoppe a personalized shirt that read “#ColstonStrong.”
“We called him the other day and he’s been wearing the jersey since he got it,” said Colston, smiling. “For the players’ weekend, he customized some football boots for me and then wore them.”
Colston plans to return to the field soon.
“The doctor said if I feel well by the end of December or January, I’ll probably be able to play baseball again,” he said.
During his recovery, Colston has watched every Angels game and has also seen every Paseo Verde game since the tournament began.
The 12-year-olds on the team carry Colston in their hearts as they fight for the world championship title.
“Keep going, buddy,” Gaudin said in a message to Colston at the end of an interview with FOX5. “Keep fighting. Keep fighting and you will come out victorious.”
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