Pitching in for our Pitch!!

Pitching in for our Pitch is a fundraising campaign for Chordoma cancer survivor Alexis Michaud, 17, of Manchester, Maine. Please read her story below and consider donating to this GoFundMe to help Alexis realize the remainder of her "Wish." Every dollar counts, and no dollar is too small. Thank you for reading and considering...

RSU #38, Maranacook Community High School rising senior and starting Varsity Softball pitcher Alexis Michaud, 17, of Manchester, Maine, was diagnosed in June of 2021 with a rare form of bone cancer. Chordoma [kor-DOH-muh] is a rare type of cancer that occurs in the bones of the skull base and spine. It is part of a group of malignant bone and soft tissue tumors called sarcomas. It is not for the faint of heart. Chordoma is diagnosed in just 1 in 1,000,000 people per year. That means that about 300 patients are diagnosed with chordoma each year in the United States, and about 700 in all of Europe. At any given time, fewer than 1 in 100,000 people are living with chordoma. Alexis is genuinely #oneinamillion in more ways than one. Her journey has been nothing short of amazing, yet likely the most challenging journey she will ever be on.

Michaud’s cancer is in remission, but that has not come without a cost. On September 2, 2021, Michaud underwent nearly 20 hours of consecutive surgeries over two days at the Pittsburgh Medical Center in Pittsburgh, PA, to remove the tumor and fuse vertebrae to repair the damage. Alexis was told she would never play sports again, BUT because she is a #fighter, she rehabbed and fought her way back to the pitching mound, albeit with little to no mobility in her neck. That has not stopped her! She is a testament to hard work and determination and has refused to stand idle while thinking not of herself but of others in her community.

On April 25, 2022, Alexis was presented with all new softball uniforms for her and her teammates and notified that The Maine Chapter of the Make A Wish Foundation was going to grant her Wish; to have her high school’s softball field renovated. The remainder of the Foundation’s contribution was presented to Alexis in June at the Annual Make A Wish Gala, where she was presented with a new electronic scoreboard for the field. The average dollar amount of a Make a Wish grant in Maine is approximately $7,000.

“Given the condition of the Maranacook softball field and the amount of money still needed above and beyond what the Make a Wish Foundation contributed, and as a Maranacook Community High School graduate myself, when approached by the fundraising team for this project, those of us at Kennebec Savings Bank in Augusta, Maine, felt that it was important for us to provide the lead gift to this community effort. Kennebec Savings Bank in Augusta, Maine, has led this effort by kicking off donations with a $10,000 check and challenges all individuals and businesses to help too! "We now hope to see other local businesses and community members join in support of this selfless athlete who has used her illness to support and give back to her community,” said Andrew Silsby, President of Kennebec Savings Bank in Augusta, Maine.

Other members of the Maranacook community, including Harry Lanphear, Linda Smith, Matt Dwyer and Melissa O’Neal-Low, are teaming together to raise the additional $50,000 needed to address drainage and excavation issues in addition to new bleachers with ample seating, as well as other upgrades to the aged dugouts. “We are facing some significant costs relating to the drainage problems at the field, which each year cause the field to be unusable early in the softball season, requiring the high school girls to play at the middle school field. We hope to raise the remaining funds needed to be able to address these challenges, which will allow Alexis and her team to play a full season on their own field next year,” said Lanphear. In 2009, Lanphear, Smith and O’Neal-Low were part of the fundraising team who helped raise nearly $300K for the Ricky Gibson Field of Dreams, another Maranacook High School student who suffered from an inoperable brain tumor and whose wish was to renovate his football field.

If you would like to donate to "Pitching in for our Pitch," please donate here, or reach out to the organizer of this GoFundMe page for more details on how to make a fully tax-deductible, consistent with current law, donation.

Alexis has led the way and selflessly gave back to her community with her Make A Wish ask. Let's show Alexis what community is all about by helping her get to that $50,000 goal for completing the newly renovated softball field at the Marancook Community High School's softball field in Readfield, Maine. (**Disclosure - any funds raised over the amount needed will support the student athlete's future educational needs)

Will YOU please Pitch in for our Pitch?

#23

#oneinamillion

#michaudstrong

#pitchinginforourpitch

#softballpitcher

#softball

#cancer

Thank you for considering.

Respectfully,

Melissa A. O'Neal-Low

Harry Lanphear

Matthew Dwyer

Linda Smith