Auburn baseball team unites in support of teammate's mother

[AUChizad 0]

http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/p.../802130342/1001

February 13, 2008

Auburn baseball team unites in support of teammate's mother

By Jay G. Tate

jgtate@gannett.com

AUBURN -- The first of February could have been one of the worst days of Barbara Sanders' life. A photograph changed everything.

The mother of Auburn infielder Joseph Sanders underwent her first round of chemotherapy, knowing the experience would change her. Unexpected results came first.

The Tigers secretly shaved their heads in a show of support for Barbara Sanders, who's expecting to lose her own hair. Only hours after treatment, the Millbrook resident arrived at Plainsman Park to the sight of a massive, framed photograph of the most clean-shaven team in America.

"I'm not the kind of person who cries, but that was one of the most overwhelming moments of my life," said Barbara Sanders, who has spent her entire adult life in the Air Force. "I couldn't believe they did that for me. I just kept saying 'Thank you,' because they'll never understand how much that picture means to me. That they thought of me when everything else was going on around them. It's an amazing thing."

This story starts nearly a decade ago, when the Sanders family moved to Millbrook. Joseph Sanders began playing ball with Ryan Jenkins, beginning a friendship that brought the families close.

Baseball was the catalyst. Time strengthened the connection.

"She's the sweetest lady. She loves baseball and loves her family and it's all so easy to see," said Jenkins, now Auburn's top catcher. "She knitted me a huge blanket with Auburn colors when I graduated. She thinks like that. Talk about nice."

Barbara Sanders' effervescence was challenged on Dec. 5, when doctors examining her biopsy discovered evidence of breast cancer. She discovered a lump less than two weeks before the diagnosis.

Things were changing rapidly.

Yet Barbara Sanders kept the information from her two youngest children. Beth, a student at Alabama, and Joseph were preparing to take final exams.

Joseph's semester ended first. He found out Dec. 17.

"I wanted him to be worried about his grades, not me," Barbara Sanders said. "When I told him, there was no expression on his face. It was just total shock. He doesn't know about the advancements in treatments. I guess he thought there wasn't much time left."

Joseph Sanders sought counsel from his coach, who provided an unexpected level of comfort. Tom Slater was 13 when he learned that his mother had been diagnosed with cancer.

Slater remembered the process. He knew how chemotherapy affects the body, how weakness brought on by the inundation of helpful chemicals eventually fades and how meaningful personal support can change things for the better.

Joseph Sanders was amazed.

"He gave me direction and really helped me understand what my role in this is," the sophomore infielder said. "Then he mentioned how hard it is for women to lose their hair. He said it might be cool if we all shaved our heads. I thought it was a great gesture."

Word soon got out. Nearly everyone was on board and it didn't take long for the locks to lop off. Most players handled things on their own.

Slater's wife, Beth, sheared the coach on a recent Sunday afternoon to the delight of the couple's two children. His assistants followed in line. So did volunteer assistant coach Scott Sullivan, the former Major League pitcher.

Final cuts were saved for Jenkins and Crawford, who were shaved moments before the team gathered near third base at Plainsman Park. Players stood behind Joseph Sanders, arms folded, and stared into the fish-eye lens of university photographer Todd Van Emst.

It's the look of solidarity.

"We figured that would give her something to look to and maybe not feel so alone in this," Jenkins said. "I know she is going to have some rougher days ahead. We all want her to know we're with her."

The photograph was enlarged to nearly poster size and framed. Scott Duval, the program's director of operations, was the first to see Barbara Sanders at Plainsman Park on the afternoon of Feb. 1.

She knew the players were up to something. Joseph Sanders alluded to the team devising a way to honor her, but details were elusive by design.

Duval was in the baseball office when Barbara Sanders and her husband, Jack, arrived. He grabbed the picture and made an impromptu presentation that prompted a surprising emotional reaction.

"I just kind of kept quiet because I'm not the crying kind of guy, but it was one of those moments you really feel," Duval said. "This is a lady who scheduled her treatments around making sure she'd be at as many games as possible. She cares a lot. When I gave her the picture, she didn't understand the magnitude of what had been done. She was a little overwhelmed."

The picture now rests above Barbara Sanders' desk at Gunter Annex, which has been drawing plenty of interest. She said it's a source of pride and strength, which will play a bigger role during the next few months.

Barbara Sanders will receive chemotherapy treatments every other Friday through May. Doctors will give her doses of an aggressive drug called Adriamycin, often called "red devil" because of its color, which aggressively attacks rapidly multiplying cancer cells.

That's the good news.

The bad news is that some helpful multiplying cells -- most notably hair-producing cells in the scalp -- are attacked by Adriamycin. That often leads to hair loss. Once chemotherapy ends, Barbara Sanders will begin receiving five-days-per-week radiation treatments for another two months.

It will be a difficult and sometimes painful road.

She won't walk it alone.

"All I have to do is look at that picture with my son in front and all those boys behind him," Barbara Sanders said. "I know that they're all looking after my son. I know they love him. I know he loves me. That's what makes me happy."

[AUJarhead 70]

Good read. Thanks for posting. Prayers to the Sanders family.