Pennsylvania high school cancer survivor finds family at baseball academy EL1 Reading

A 16-year-old baseball player from Berks County, Pennsylvania, wants to give back to his community after they were there for him in his greatest time of need.

Reading native Victor Aponte fell in love with baseball at 6 years old. Two years later, he began pitching. At 14, he had the scare of a lifetime after being unable to finish a baseball tournament. He was soon rushed to the hospital, where he was eventually diagnosed with leukemia.

"They told me my diagnosis, and I broke down in tears," he said. "My first thought was, 'Am I going to be able to play baseball again?'"

EL1 Reading, a baseball training company, sprang into action, starting a GoFundMe and raising $30,000 for his medical expenses.

"There are a lot of people who love and care about Victor and his family," EL1 Reading general manager Clint Fernandez said, "and the fact that we were able to raise that kind of money showcases how we have each other's back."

Aponte's teammates helped lift his spirits by making swag, like wristbands and T-shirts, while Governor Mifflin High School held a blood drive in his honor.

"I was in shock. I was just lying in the hospital bed and just hearing all this great stuff that these people are in my corner, it felt great," he said. "This is really a family that I have here."

After losing his hair and going through over a year of chemotherapy, Aponte was able to make his return to the mound with the outpouring of support.

"It was like a kick in the gut. You don't want any kid to go through that," Rich Delucia, a former MLB pitcher and 3Up 3Down Baseball Academy owner, said. "If things are going bad, come here, work, take your mind off things. There's always a place for them to go to when things are going their way."

"People think, 'Oh, you're just going to play baseball,'" Aponte said. "But here, it's really like a family."

Now Aponte wants to turn his pain into purpose.

"I want to play baseball in college, and I want to major in nursing," he said. "I can relate to kids in the future since I was in their situation. I can reassure them that they're going to be OK."

From the mound to the medical field, Aponte is looking forward to giving back to the community nat pop that gave so much to him.

If you know of an athlete or coach that you want to see on Hometown Hustle, you can email Krystle Rich at hometownhustle@cbs.com.