NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — An 8-year-old girl has inspired the New York Mets coaching staff to train for a marathon during the pandemic.
Leighton Accardo, the 8-year-old daughter of Mets assistant pitching coach Jeremy Accardo, has had a lot of difficult days over the last year.
She’s undergone several surgeries, treatments and serious conversations about germ cell cancer, which she was diagnosed with last year.
Leighton, a normally active and bubbly 8-year-old, has been spending time in New York with her mom for surgeries, and has been missing time with her brothers, who are back home with their dad in Gilbert, Arizona.
Doctors were hoping to have her back home soon to make her more comfortable, but her dad Jermey tells Yahoo! Sports that they hate that word.
“I hate that word, ‘comfortable,’” he said. “Sounds like we’re giving up. And we’re not.”
To help Leighton, Jeremy and the rest of the coaching staff plan to run under a “Leighton Strong” banner during the New York City Marathon on Nov. 1.
According to Yahoo! Sports, their plan is to have Leighton at the finish line, smiling, cheering and reminding them all she told them they could do it.
Among those training for the marathon is Mets manager Luis Rojas. He says he gets out of bed and walks outside everyday to prepare.