In May of 2014, at the age of 12, Eli Shenise was diagnosed with Burkitt’s Lymphoma, a type of blood-born cancer. Eli spent the summer undergoing 4 rounds of chemotherapy, a few surgeries, and several minor procedures. Shortly after completion of his final round of chemotherapy, the doctors discovered he had developed a blood clot in his heart because of the treatment therapy. Eli then spent the fall and part of the winter in a 6-month treatment protocol to dissolve most of the blood clots. Needless to say, all these events caused him to miss the summer and fall seasons of travel baseball. Throughout his treatments, Eli never lost his love for the game of baseball and was determined to fight his way back onto the field once he was cleared to fully participate. After a check-up with his doctors on a Friday morning in February, they agreed to clear him to return to baseball in full, just in time for middle school tryouts on the following Monday. His drive and perseverance paid off as he made the Community House Middle School baseball team as a 7thgrader. His hard work and determination have continued to pay off as he made the team as an 8th grader and all 4 years at South Mecklenburg High School. Eli is currently a baseball student-athlete at Erskine College where he is studying Biology.
