Jim has spent his whole life on the baseball field. He started shagging balls and running bats at Rosenblatt Stadium as a young boy. His mother believed that if he was hanging around the field, he wouldn’t be getting into trouble. It worked! Jim loved baseball and had an opportunity to meet some of the player who went on to become baseball legends. His love carried him on to be a trainer and work with both semiprofessional players and finally high school youth.
Jim had a dream to see the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. It didn’t seem like there was much of a chance for him to ever be able to make the trip. Jim was diagnosed with Mesothelioma Cancer and the medical bills and health issues have created a burden for him and his family.
When Jim shared this story with his nationalist at UNMC, she knew just who to turn to! She told Joyce, Jim’s wife, to nominate Jim for a dream. Joyce thought this just sounds too good to be true, but she filled the paperwork out anyway.
In October 2016, Jim’s Dream was granted. Jim and his best friend, Joyce, flew off to New York for a trip of a lifetime. They got to tour the Baseball Hall of Fame and Double Day Field. And to top it all off, it was during the week the Cubs finally won the World Series.
For one week, Jim was not sick. Ol’ Coach Bayly was back to himself.
