Blake Bahr, a 2-year-old Arnold boy, was one of five children selected to take part in the fifth annual Homers for Health Game Ball Relay, leading up to the Cardinals home opener on April 2.
The event started at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital in St. Louis, with Blake taking part in that first leg of the relay, which eventually made its way from the hospital to Busch Stadium for the home opener against the Chicago Cubs, which the Cardinals won.
Homers for Health is a fundraising program to benefit patients and families at Cardinal Glennon, where Blake received a life-saving kidney transplant in January 2016. He is doing well now, his mom, Heather Bahr said.
Blake’s kidney donor, Laurie Johnson of Warrensburg, also took part in the first leg of the relay, along with Blake’s parents, Heather and Nicholas Bahr of Arnold.
Anyone who wants to donate to the Homers for Health program may contact the hospital and pledge as little as 25 cents per home run hit by a Cardinal or 5 cents per strikeout pitched by a Cardinal.
This year the program is honoring former Cardinal Matt Holliday, who founded the Homers for Health program, by including his home runs with the New York Yankees in the total home runs for the Homers for Health season.
The Game Ball Relay coincided with Donate Life Month, which was in April.
