A Life-Saving Line Drive
When Alfonso Soriano of the Texas Rangers hit a foul line drive into the seats during a game last May, he had no idea he'd end up making a save. As Steve Hartman describes in this week's Assignment America, the line drive didn't save a game … it saved a life.
What happened at Ameriquest Field in Arlington, Texas, was either one of the most fortunate foul balls in baseball history — or a life-saving miracle.
"I do believe that I could have died and wouldn't be sitting here today," says Jenny Sorrell.
If it was a miracle, the instrument of God was Soriano, then an infielder for the Texas Rangers, who smoked a foul ball into the seats.
"It was so fast," says Sorrell.
The fans in the section where Jenny was seated put up their hands. But the ball never grazed a finger — it hit her right in the gut.
"I'm just trying to get air, you know — trying not to show how bad it hurts," she says.
To learn more about ovarian cancer, visit the National Ovarian Cancer Coalitionwww.ovarian.org
Sorrell actually shook it off pretty well. She says the only reason she went to the hospital was to make sure she hadn't ruptured anything, which she hadn't. But the CAT scan did show something else — something a lot worse.
"When I took a look at her films and took a look at her exam, it was pretty clear that it was ovary cancer," says Dr. John Schorge. Right below the bruise from Soriano's line drive, Schorge found 15 tumors — and he may have found them just in time.
"Every day that went by would have been a higher chance of this operation she had being less successful," he says.
Almost a year later, after surgery and chemo, Sorrell is in remission. She wants women to know that their yearly physical doesn't check for ovarian cancer. There is no screening test, and the symptoms are subtle. That's why she says there has to be more awareness.
"I wouldn't want anyone else to have get hit by a baseball to find out," she says.
Sorrell also has tickets for another game – in a section where she's not likely to get hit by another line drive. One miracle was enough.