As a child with Muscular Dystrophy, Anderson Township's Joe Kline unfortunately has several years of experience at Cincinnati's Children's Hospital to draw on.
"At one point, I was probably here five days a week when he was younger," says Julie Kline, Joe's mother.
Joe has spent so much time at the hospital, in fact, that he knows the procedures he receives as well as the doctors and nurses.
"Band-Aid right here," says Joe Kline as he points to his arm.
But come Sunday, Joe and hundreds of other kids with special needs can trade their needles and pills for bats and balls.
"Giving them the opportunity to participate like typical children is very special, it's a difficult task to provide that for kids," says Dr. Ron Levin, who heads up the Special Needs Department at Children's.
Hundreds of tickets are donated to the kids and their parents by a partnership with Major League Baseball, Mass Mutual, and local financial group Paragon.
"With so many things in people's lives, it's just awesome that you can have an impact, and that something so small can turn into something so very big," says Chris Collier with Paragon.
For five years now, parents and the families are given the opportunity to take to the field for pre-game ceremonies, and then take their seat to root for the Reds.
And while the event is wildly successful year after year, organizers say there is still need for more events like it across our area.
"These (events) are once a summer, we really need more opportunities for these kids," explains Levin.
While many of the children attending Sunday's game are no longer receiving regular care at the hospital, some still do. In some cases, they will attend with the doctors and nurses by their side.
