Softball team rallying to support Windsor Locks family as boy battles leukemia

(WFSB) - Windsor Locks is rallying behind a family forever changed by a leukemia diagnosis.

Their 6-year-old son will be the guest of honor at the varsity softball game tomorrow night.

Where Johnathan is strong, his mother Victoria is steady.

Few things are tougher than knowing your child will have to fight for his life.

“He turned 6 October 1st, one month after starting chemo,” said Victoria Stick.

Johnathan wears his strength as a message on his shirt. The Windsor Locks boy is summing up his battle with acute lymphoblastic leukemia as “Johnathan Strong”.

Tough times don’t last, but boy do they make an impression on a mother.

“At 10:45, August 31st, told us that Johnathan had leukemia, Victoria said. “There’s no tears to cry right now. Because what’s my next step?”

Victoria stepped into the role of steady nurturer and caregiver, even in times when she couldn’t do what moms do best.

“We’ve lived in a hospital the last nine months,” Victoria said. “I have to put it in the doctor’s hands because I can’t fix him. Having to put all of my trust in them to make sure that he’s going to be okay was hard.”

She was by Johnathan’s side, while also being there for her high school daughter Kiley.

“Those girls are my girls,” Victoria said.

Victoria didn’t miss a single softball game, despite repeated trips to Connecticut Children’s.

She is making an impression on Kiley’s team, which is now raising money in their last varsity game for cancer research.

“Just the love that they have for Jonathan not just Kiley being on the team. It just, there’s no words,” said Victoria.

Johnathan is in remission and though he’ll need treatment through 2025, he’s ready to tackle first grade again in the fall.

Tough times don’t last, but you know what they say about tough people.

“You’re mom, you do everything. I couldn’t imagine not being there,” Victoria said.

The Windsor Locks Raiders’ “Strikeout Against Cancer” softball game will be held Tuesday night, May 23 against the Granby Varsity Team at Veterans Memorial Park in Windsor Locks. It starts at 7 p.m.

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