Back in the game

Pitcher raises funds to battle cancer

Monday marked five years without cancer for former Gaels pitcher Alex Mann. Mann is currently raising funds for a pair of charities that supported him when he was diagnosed in 2009.
Image by: Arwin Chan
Monday marked five years without cancer for former Gaels pitcher Alex Mann. Mann is currently raising funds for a pair of charities that supported him when he was diagnosed in 2009.

Six years ago, Alex Mann had a full head of hair and dreams of playing NCAA baseball.

Those dreams were dashed when he was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma — a rare form of bone cancer — in spring 2009, near the end of his grade 11 year.

The future Queen’s baseball reliever needed to undergo surgery and several months of chemotherapy to save his left arm. It was an arduous 10-month process — one that forced him to miss a year of high school and left him unable to pursue his athletic ambitions.

“I don’t remember this, but my parents told me that as soon as I woke up out of surgery I immediately asked the surgeon, ‘Am I ever going to play baseball again?’” Mann said. “And she just basically said, ‘No.’”

It took two years to prove her wrong. After a year of physiotherapy and an adjustment to his throwing style, Mann cracked Queen’s baseball team as a rookie in fall 2011, and played for three seasons.

He was the Gaels’ most battle-tested relief pitcher — and he never forgot the people who helped him overcome his illness.

Now, he’s giving back through an online campaign, raising funds for two charitable organizations. It has raised over $6,750 so far, and closes on March 20.

The campaign coincides with a notable milestone. On Monday, Mann celebrated his fifth anniversary of being proclaimed cancer-free — though he’s still without his luscious brown locks.

“I had this poofy flow sort of thing, and I always had to cut it for baseball,” he said. “I always hated [cutting the hair].

“When I finished therapy I was basically like, ‘Alright, when’s it coming back?’”

In the months leading up to his diagnosis, Mann was playing high school and competitive baseball in Oakville. He was regarded as a standout local prospect, with the opportunity to play for a high-level American college.

That was before his diagnosis. When the word came down, he immediately started researching Ewing’s sarcoma.

“Before my surgery, I was watching videos of the procedure and my mom was like, ‘You’re crazy. What are you doing?’” Mann said. “I always needed to know the outcomes.”

In surgery, an 18 cm long section of his left humerus was successfully removed, to be replaced by a steel prosthetic. Doctors left his elbow joint untouched, but removed part of his deltoid muscle — something that impedes his mobility to this day.

“I can’t grab a glass out of the cupboard with my left hand,” Mann said. “Can’t brush my teeth with my left hand. I’m left-handed and I’d always brushed my teeth with my left hand. That was a huge change.”

Mann had always pitched with his right hand, but after surgery, he had to readjust his technique. He began to prop up his glove with his right hand when catching the ball, since his left arm was too weak to support itself.

On top of Queen’s practices, Mann went through a physiotherapy routine that included bands to stretch his left side. He also dedicated a summer before coming to Queen’s to improving his pitching speed.

His pitches maxed out at 87 miles per hour in high school. Since his surgery, he has topped out at 83 on the radar gun.

“It wasn’t ever going to get to a point where I would be back at the level I used to be at,” he said. “That sucked.”

When Mann travelled to Kingston for baseball tryouts in the summer of 2011, he yearned to return to a competitive team.

He didn’t see much playing time during his first season with the Gaels, but that did nothing to dampen his spirits.

Ben Schoening played with Mann that year, and coached him the following season.

“He was a great guy to have on the team. He’s a pleasure to play alongside and a pleasure to coach because of how mentally tough he was,” Schoening said.

“It’s such an incredible story — to see someone’s opportunities and their potential dip off, but then watch them work their ass off to regain them.”

Even after surgery, Schoening said Mann seemed to have retained his fundamental baseball skills. It was his contributions off the field, though, that became especially invaluable.

“I think everyone really fed off his energy from a playing standpoint, and once everyone became aware of his story, it became really motivating,” Schoening said.

“The team really looked to him as an inspiration.”

Tags

baseball, Gaels, Mann, Schoening

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