I started playing softball when I was five and never stopped. Now I am 17 and can hardly remember a time when my grandpa wasn't at my games. He has always given me, and everyone on the team, pointers. Sometimes it feels like he is the only one lifting us up, which is why we call him our number-one fan!

But last spring we started noticing he didn't come to the games as often. We found out he had been diagnosed with stomach cancer and had to undergo surgery to remove most of his stomach. He spent weeks in the hospital, and more having radiation and chemotherapy treatments. His body is still so weak that he can only eat liquids. We know he will pull through eventually, though, because we keep giving him pointers.

While he was in the hospital, our softball team made a big card and signed a softball for him. Some of us went to the hospital to give him his gifts. There wasn't a person in his room who didn't cry. He was so excited by what we had done for him; he couldn't believe we thought he was our biggest fan. He wanted to know everything we had been doing, and hated that he couldn't watch us play.

Every time I speak to him he asks how "the girls" are doing. He is almost like one of the players because of the way he supports us.

This is my senior year, and we don't know how many games he will be able to watch. He is still very weak and has a long way to go. But no matter what, we know he is there with us at all times. That is why we call him our number-one fan!