Ya gotta believe in Liam

by Darren Meenan April 25, 2018

While hanging at the tailgate on Saturday, I was approached by two men. "Can I have a word with you?". Oh, man. What'd I do? Did we ship the wrong shirt sizes? Did they lose their tickets? No. Just looking for a little help.

James Budgell and his brother Fred handed me a local Savannah newspaper clipping about James' son Liam. Liam was born into a Brooklyn family of die hard Mets fans that moved to Georgia back in 2010. Unfortunately, Liam is in dire need of a new kidney.

Back in '94, he was born with renal disease as a result of a congenital anomaly. Surgery was needed immediately. Since then, he has required 24 more surgeries. Liam’s condition has developed into end stage renal disease, and his doctors have done everything that can be done at this time. Now doctors say a kidney transplant is critical to his survival. While awaiting his transplant, Liam has to undergo regular dialysis treatments, which take a toll on his quality of life.

Even though Liam had just gone through a procedure a day prior, he was determined to make the outing. Doctors orders were to "just don't cheer too hard."

I told the guys that I'd do what I could to spread the word to the rest of our fan base. A campaign is currently running to help with the enormous costs for the transplant and treatment, with a goal of $30,000. If you can find it in your heart and wallet to spare something to the cause, you can read more about Liam and do so HERE.

Keep your head up, Liam! We're all pulling for you, and look forward to cheering with you again real soon. Even though the Mets blew the game, I hope you were able to get your mind off things even for just one evening.