Lansdale Catholic baseball team honors memory of a teammate after battle with cancer

At Lansdale Catholic High School the baseball season has begun but this year is unlike any other as the young players honor the memory of a friend.

John Gendek was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive brain cancer.

“Three days into school, he was down at CHOP,” his mom Lisa Gendek said.

“Three days as a Freshman. He made it three days into his Freshman year and we had to go to CHOP for an MRI. Within ten minutes they told us the news that we had to go down to CHOP main immediately,” his dad Tom Gendek recalled.

He fought bravely for over a year to get better and get back onto the diamond, but in October John’s battle ended.

John’s fight rallied the region and his passing devastated the community.

“He was a baseball kid, through and through. He played since he could walk. He played on some nice teams, some really good teams and that was his goal to come [to Lansdale Catholic] and play baseball,” his dad said.

Now, the baseball team that John would have been a part of is ensuring he will always be with them by wearing “JG 3” on their cleats plus a patch to honor him on every hat and batting helmet.

“We’re here for each other. We support each other and that’s what this has been about. John’s always going to be a part of our family and we’ll always do whatever we can to support him and honor him,” Lansdale Catholic High School baseball coach Brian Ferko said.

Two years ago before the My Cleats, My Cause game, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts went to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Hurts asked John Gendek and two other boys to create a design for his cleats.

Parents of the baseball players designed a t-shirt for John that reads “FAMILY” on the front with “JG 3 always with me” on the back with a childhood cancer ribbon.

For more information on the t-shirts you can email the Lansdale Catholic Baseball head coach at Brian.Ferko@lansdalecatholic.com.

If you would like to contribute to brain cancer research in John’s memory, you can click here.