Cubs hold special meet and greet with Advocate Children's patients
With the help of Cubs Charities and Advocate Children’s Hospital in Chicago, the Cubs had 8-year-old twins Ben and Noah Prepelica, 13-year-old Jackson “JD” Stocking and 8-year-old James Solotorovsky, all pediatric patients, in the interview room to give their autographs to Chicago’s players. Each had a stack of custom baseball cards in front of them to sign and trade.
“It makes it more about them than about us,” said Hoerner, who noted that the inspiration for the event stems from Mitch Haniger hosting a similar day while with the Mariners. “And because it’s here, they’re able to meet a lot more players. I’m grateful for teammates who give them even a couple minutes of their time. It all adds up to a pretty cool thing.”
The Prepelica twins were both born with a congenital heart defect known as aortic stenosis and both have undergone echocardiograms every six months for the first seven years of their lives. Stocking sustained a serious brain injury earlier this year. Solotorovsky was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia earlier this year, but is currently cancer-free after months of treatment and hospital stays.
