Boston Marathon bombing victim Karen Rand threw out the first pitch at U.S. Cellular Field before the White Sox- Athletics game on Saturday afternoon thanks to a little help from President Barack Obama.
Rand, who had to have the lower part of her left leg removed as a result of her injuries, was one of the victims Obama met with just a few days after the attack. She was standing with her friend Krystle Campbell at the time of the bombings. Campbell ultimately died from her wounds along with two others.
During Obama’s visit, Rand’s boyfriend, Kevin McWatters, said that the two were planning on traveling to Chicago soon and that was all Obama needed to hear. He went ahead and contacted the White Sox, his favorite MLB team, and asked if they could invite Rand to the ballpark while she was in town.
Chicago then took it a step further and had her throw out the first pitch.
“I actually didn’t expect this,” Rand told ESPN Chicago. “This is overwhelming sitting here and being on this field and having people come over. It’s been great. I’m really excited and it’s been a fun day for us.
“I thought we’d be in the box and maybe people would wave. I didn’t know what to expect but not this. This is amazing. We’re being treated like royalty and we’re really just humble, simple people, so it’s really nice for us to be out here. We’re really enjoying it.”
Rand is a lifelong Red Sox fan, but she will always be thankful for this amazing gesture by the Chicago White Sox and Obama.
Check out Rand’s first pitch in the video below.
[mlbvideo id=”27842623″ width=”640″ height=”360″ /]
Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@ESPNChiSox.
