By: Coach Rachel
I grew up a Yankees fan, and for the record, I’m still very much a Yankees fan. When I was younger, my family had season tickets to the Yankees in the old stadium. The very last game in the old Yankees stadium was tshirt day, but only for kids. The were giving out a limited edition Yankees t-shirt commemorating the stadium. I was so excited for the game, my mom and I were going to the last game to ever be played there and I couldn’t wait to see it. When we got there, we entered through Gate 4 and on the other side, a woman handed me a youth XL commemorative t-shirt. I asked her if they had any bigger sizes and she said that was the biggest they had. I smiled, thanked her, and walked away, well knowing that this was a shirt that I would keep, but never get to wear.
You may be asking yourself why this shirt is so significant, and here’s why: I hadn’t worn a youth xl since I was in 3rd grade. That last game was September 21, 2008 and I was in 7th grade. I looked at that shirt and I was so sad and discouraged, knowing that I would never get to wear this awesome shirt that commemorate a place where I had created so many memories. I got home from the game that night and tucked the shirt away in the bottom of one of my drawers, hoping to forget about the fact that I would only ever get to look at that shirt.
Over the next 2 years, I must’ve cleaned out my drawers a good 10 times, but I always kept that shirt. I knew I would never wear it or fit into it, but I held onto it on the off chance that maybe one day I would give it to someone who loved the Yankees as much as I do, or maybe, just maybe one day I’d fit in it. Two years went by and I had only gotten bigger, making the chances that I would fit into the shirt smaller and smaller.
And then, I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease and over a few months, I lost 85 pounds. I needed new clothes every couple months and I kept cleaning out my drawers to make space, but the one thing that I couldn’t let go of was the Yankees Stadium t-shirt. I kept putting it closer and closer to the top of the drawer until I was looking at it every time I opened my drawer. Then one day, when I had lost most of my weight, I decided that I should see if the shirt fit and if it didn’t I was just going to get rid of it.
Much to my surprise and excitement, when I put the shirt on, it fit. Not only did it fit, but it was big. I don’t think I can explain the excitement I felt when I looked in the mirror and saw that this shirt I never thought I would ever wear, fit. From that day on, it’s been my favorite t-shirt. While I don’t wear it often, I keep it to remember that no matter how slim the chances may be, there’s always hope.