Saturday, May 28, 2011

There is No Joy in Mudville: HOF Catcher Gary “Kid” Carter Has “90 Percent Certain” Malignant Brain Cancer

 
A recent picture of Gary Carter.


By Nicholas Stix

When the Mets traded for him, in a blockbuster deal following the 1984 season, Gary Carter, then 30, was the final piece of the puzzle. Twenty-seven years later, his very existence is a puzzle.

Carter, who with teammate Keith Hernandez led the Mets to a World Series championship in 1986, learned from doctors this week that they are “90 percent certain” that the tumors found in his brain are malignant.

The tumors were diagnosed last Saturday after the former New York Mets star began experiencing headaches and forgetfulness.

Doctors at Duke Medical Center told the 57-year-old Carter that they are "90 percent certain" the tumors are malignant, according to a report on the New York Daily News website.

"It was very hard for all of us to hear, as we have been hoping and praying that the tumors would be benign," one of Carter's daughters wrote on the family's website. "Lots of tears have been shed in the hospital room today, and we are all a bit scared of the unknown."…
According to the website, the plan is for Carter to begin chemotherapy and radiation.

From the mid-1970s until the late 1980s, Carter was the dominant catcher in the National League. He played most of his prime years with the Montreal Expos, but never got to play in a World Series until the Expos traded him to New York. He was enshrined in Baseball’s Hall of Fame in Cooperstown in 2003.

Our thoughts and prayers are with “Kid” and his family.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I'll always remember Gary Carter for being at the plate with two outs, nobody on, with the Mets trailing the Red Sox 5-3 in the bottom of the tenth of Game Six of the 1986 World Series. Carter got a base hit and minutes later, Mookie Wilson's grounder went under Bill Buckner's glove.

David In TN