Gary “Gronk” Gronskei has been an Toronto Blue Jays fan for decades, but he has never had the opportunity to see his favourite team play in Toronto.
Friends, family, co-workers and strangers are coming together to make that dream come true for Gronskei and are raising money to send him and his girlfriend, Angela Mufford, to Toronto in April.
It’s a bit of a bucket-list trip for Gronskei, who has been diagnosed with Stage 4 esophageal cancer. Chemotherapy and radiation are not options at this time, and Gronskei’s prognosis is very poor. His community is rallying around him, and in just seven days, 68 people have donated $4,597 to a GoFundMe campaign to make sure Gronskei gets to see his Jays play live.
Gronskei says it would mean “tons” for him to go on this trip.
“I’ve watched them forever, and I was a ballplayer myself too, so I get the game,” he said. “To make it there and go and get into the stadium and see all the guys, it’s going to be pretty cool.”
Gronskei has gone to two live baseball games before, but it was many years ago, and he has never had a chance to see the Jays in Toronto — or even to go to Toronto.
The GoFundMe campaign was started by a co-worker of Gronskei’s, Megan Mighton.
“I’m not the kind of person to want handouts or anything like that,” said Gronskei. “It just seems kind of personal. It wasn’t something I would actually do, but they set it up, and then to see it go … absolute strangers out there, and that’s the coolest thing because it’s a moment of something nice for somebody nice. I believe in that so much.”
Gronskei and Mufford say they’ve seen the names of a lot of family members, friends and co-workers on the list of donors, but also many strangers as well.
Gronskei has been a Blue Jays fan since he was playing ball himself.
“Plus, it’s the only Canadian team — well, the Expos came along for a while, but they got the boot, so it’s the only Canadian team — and they look after their team, they bring in some Canadian content to kind of keep the mojo going,” he said. “They care, I think, so it’s good.”
Gronskei says his favourite Jays player is probably centre fielder Kevin Pillar.
“I was an outfielder when I played ball, and he’s the kind of guy that he gives 110 per cent every game, it doesn’t matter what, and for the jumps he’s making to catch balls, he should be hurt,” he said.
Gronskei has all sorts of Jays clothing, and when they get into the playoffs, he creates a bit of a shrine to his team around the television.
The Jays are almost done spring training and will open the 2019 regular season March 28 at home against the Detroit Tigers.
Gronskei and Mufford are hoping to see the Blue Jays play the Tampa Bay Rays April 12 and 13. They would leave Prince George on April 11 and return April 16, and they are hoping they could spend a day at Niagara Falls because Gronskei has never been there and also go to the top of the CN Tower.
Gronskei, who has worked for Emcon Services Inc. for 30-plus years, has lived in Quesnel his whole life, although he did leave the city a few times to play ball.
He spent five years going to baseball camp in Oliver, and he went away for college, playing baseball in Tacoma, Washington.
“A guy from Tacoma, outside of Seattle, was an outfielder scout for the Seattle Mariners, and he talked to me and my parents and said ‘I think I’d like this guy down in Tacoma. Would he be interested in going to college?’ It cost my parents a lot of money at the time, but I did it,” said Gronskei. “I was away from Quesnel at that time, and then I came back and then went for a summer to play in Calgary, and a summer playing in Vancouver, pretty well all over to play ball. I’ve played for a long, long time.”
“I’d like a penny for every time the ball hit my glove,” he adds with a laugh. “I’d be rich.”
Gronskei was diagnosed with Stage 4 esophageal cancer this January after being admitted to hospital with pneumonia.
He had aspiration pneumonia and was admitted to Quesnel’s G.R. Baker Hospital on Jan. 14, and he was taken by BC Ambulance to the Kelowna hospital on Jan. 16. Gronskei spent 19 days at the Kelowna hospital and was on a ventilator post-operatively. While he was there, they found out he had esophageal cancer and that it had metastasized.
His oncologist from Prince George told him the chemotherapy dosage needed to kill the cancer in his esophagus would be too hard on him.
Mufford says the oncologist consulted the radiology team, and radiation is not in the cards at this time either.
“So I said ‘what’s the alternative?’ and he said ‘try to stay comfortable and painless and everything else,’” said Gronskei.
When Gronskei asked the oncologist if he had a timeline, he told him he has three to six months.
“The first time I told the nurse, the nurse says ‘I didn’t hear that, I’m sorry,’ and I said ‘that’s okay,’ and she says ‘isn’t that something you’re supposed to be fighting when you’re 85 and not 57?’” said Gronskei.
Mufford is a nurse at G.R. Baker Hospital, and she is taking time off work to be with Gronskei and “keep him out of trouble.”
To support the GoFundMe campaign for Gronskei’s trip, visit gofundme.com/get-gronk-to-the-blue-jays-game.