Gaining Perspective on What Really is Important

Rob Naddelman: Through a Parent’s Eyes

A colleague of mine at Baseball Factory, Ryan Smith, and his wife Katrina are in the midst of a struggle that can rock you to your core. Ryan is a part time scout for Baseball Factory and helps to run/operate/scout numerous events for us across the country. He does a fantastic job and is a huge asset to our organization. Ryan and Katrina had been expecting twins (their first two children) towards the end of July. As a parent myself of two girls, I understand completely the joy these two must have been feeling. What started out as the happiest time in their lives slowly has turned into a scary nightmare.

At only 27 weeks, the twins were birthed through an emergency C-section due to problems in utero. On July 23, Ryan and Katrina gave birth to Gianna and Graden (boy/girl fraternal twins). Based upon the complications, after delivery, Ryan and Katrina knew that Gianna and Graden would be in a fight for their lives in the intensive care unit. Both babies were born quite pre-mature and weighed only 2 to 2.5 lbs.

The next few days were overwhelming for the Smith’s and turned into every parent’s worst fear. Three days after birth, Graden passed away due to severe lung deficiencies. He was only on earth for a few days but will be remembered for a lifetime. Gianna is presently still in a struggle for her life as she has been rushed to a specialist unit in Pittsburgh for a collapsed lung. She is currently on steroid treatments and appears to be making good progress. The situation is still quite fragile.

For all you parents out there reading this, I hope this unfortunate situation helps you to gain perspective on what is really important in life. As parents we run so hard every day and place an excessive amount of importance on things that really are quite trivial. How many at-bats did my son get at the last tournament, why didn’t he get a chance to play more innings at Short Stop, why aren’t more schools recruiting my son? The list can go on and on. The truth is that your child’s well being and health are the most important things in the world, and the gift of raising a healthy child should be celebrated every day. We shouldn’t have to wait for a tragedy to recognize this miracle.

I continue to pray every day for Gianna (and Ryan and Katrina). I hope you will join me in my positive thoughts and prayers for this family. This family needs our support!

If anyone is interested in contributing to a cause to support the Smith family and to honor Graden Smith, we will be releasing information on how you can contribute in the near future.

Rob Naddelman is the President of Baseball Factory. Naddelman is a former two-time All Ivy League Third Baseman at the University of Pennsylvania, where he competed in a College World Series Regional. He has served as the President of Baseball Factory for the past 13 years, and also is the Executive Director of Baseball Factory's charitable arm The B.A.S.E. - H.I.T. Foundation. Naddelman and Steve Sclafani (CEO) have been featured in Business Week and CNN for their work in building Baseball Factory into the nation's leader in player development and college placement.