College Student Raising Money To Take ALS-Stricken Father To Final 6 MLB Ballparks On His Bucket List

Dillon Cheverere9 years ago

Ben Shealey is a freshman at the University of Cincinnati and member of the Sigma Chi fraternity. Ben is also a serious candidate for the nonexistent Son of the Year award, as he is seeking help in raising money to fulfill a lifelong dream of his father’s.

Ben’s father, Wes, was sadly diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, about one year ago. According to Ben, who reached out us about his father’s story, Mr. Shealey was unfortunately told he has about five years left with us.

Ben also tells us his father is a diehard baseball fan with a goal to visit every major league ballpark in his lifetime. He, along with the help of his Sigma Chi fraternity brothers, are raising money to fund a weeklong summer trip to six different MLB parks, the final six on Wes’s bucket list — the ballparks of the Angels, Dodgers, Padres, Red Sox, Yankees, and Nationals. They’re going coast to coast.

Ben put it in his own words via his Twitter account:

Ben set up a GoFundMe page to tell his father’s story and accept donations in order to carry out this very special father-son trip.

One of my dads dreams is to go to every MLB stadium before he dies. Now that he has been diagnosed with ALS the end is closer than expected. I hope to go on a trip with my dad to 6 MLB stadiums on a weeklong trip this summer.

If you’d like to donate to a truly awesome cause and help these two go on the baseball trip of a lifetime, please GO HERE TO DONATE NOW. Ben has already raised $7,680 of his $10,000 goal, but I see no reason why they shouldn’t blow past that number.

Thanks for reaching out, Ben. Good kid you’ve got here, Wes..

[via GoFundMe]