Cubs Bat Kid Experience Marks Happy Ending After Injury

Cassie Richardson
Published: June 29, 2018

Heavy rains and a power outage caused the cancellation of the June 18 Chicago Cubs game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, but they did not dampen the spirits of 10-year-old Ronnie Williams. As Honorary Bat Kid, Ronnie visited the Cubs dugout, took photos with players, collected autographs and watched the pregame warmup from the bench.

To say he was excited about his up-close and personal Honorary Bat Kid experience is an understatement. Still, Ronnie’s excitement paled in comparison to the delight of his mother, Rhonda Williams, as she watched her son enjoying baseball – the sport he was first exposed to earlier this year because a non-sports-related concussion sidelined Ronnie from playing youth soccer.

Ronnie’s injury happened during a playground accident, where he ended up hitting his head on the ground. At first, Rhonda didn’t recognize the signs of her son’s concussion. She didn’t immediately connect the dots when Ronnie, an avid science-fiction reader, couldn’t finish his reading homework and complained about feeling as though he was traveling through time.

“I thought he was being a dramatic 10-year-old who needed to stop reading science-fiction and was tired,” she explained, adding, “Usually, we’re pulling books out of his hands to make him go to bed.”

But when Ronnie’s teacher became concerned about a sudden change in Ronnie’s attention span and balance, Rhonda took her son to see Dr. Julie Taylor, a family medicine physician at Advocate Trinity Hospital. Dr. Taylor diagnosed Ronnie with a concussion and referred him to further pediatric medical treatment.

Today, Ronnie, who was a baseball enthusiast before receiving the invitation to be an Honorary Bat Kid, is well on the road to recovery, and, his mother is thankful for this happy ending to their story. Rhonda now encourages parents everywhere to look closely for symptoms of concussion – whenever their child takes a spill on or off the playing field.

Keywords: Advocate Health Care, Advocate Trinity Hospital, Family Medicine