## Cancer Survivor Lives Out Lifelong Dream With Cardinals Grounds Crew
A lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan who has spent decades fascinated by the work of the team’s grounds crew recently received an unforgettable surprise when the organization and AARP’s **Wish of a Lifetime** helped turn her unusual dream into reality.
On Aug. 11, 67-year-old Kimberly Amos, a cancer survivor and longtime Cardinals supporter, was given the opportunity to become an honorary member of the grounds crew at Busch Stadium. Rather than simply watching a baseball game from the stands, Amos was invited onto the field and allowed to take part in the preparation that happens before the players step onto the diamond. ([MLB.com][1]) citeturn0view0
A Lifelong Connection to the Cardinals
Amos’ relationship with the Cardinals began when she was a child. She grew up attending games with her father, Elmer Brader Jr., and even remembers attending a game at Sportsman’s Park, before Busch Memorial Stadium opened in 1966.
Some of her earliest memories involve the team’s old “bat days,” when young fans received wooden bats bearing the names of Cardinals players. Amos still has one of those childhood bats—a Joe Torre bat, which she has kept for decades.
While she loved watching the players, however, there was another part of the ballpark that captured her attention: the grounds crew.
For Amos, watching the crew transform the playing surface before a game was almost as entertaining as the game itself. She admired the precision, organization and consistency involved in preparing the field.
Over the years, that fascination developed into a dream: she wanted to experience what it was like to work alongside the Cardinals grounds crew.
A Dream Finally Comes True
That dream became reality on Aug. 11, when AARP’s Wish of a Lifetime partnered with the Cardinals to give Amos her special experience.
Her sister had submitted the request to the organization, and it stood out among more than 1,000 requests.
The result was a day Amos described as being like a dream come true.
She had expected to do one particular job—rake the infield—but the Cardinals grounds crew allowed her to participate in much more.
Amos helped rake the infield, paint home plate and paint the batter’s boxes. She was also taken behind the scenes to see where the grounds crew stores its equipment and learned more about how the organization maintains Busch Stadium’s playing surface.
One of the more fascinating parts of the experience was learning how the Cardinals maintain their grass during the winter. Amos was shown the grow lights used to help keep the grass healthy during the colder months.
For someone who had spent years admiring the grounds crew from the stands, getting an inside look at those operations made the experience even more meaningful.
Why the Grounds Crew Fascinated Her
Amos explained that she has always been drawn to the precision of the grounds crew’s work.
She enjoys the fact that everything is carefully timed and performed in a consistent manner. The crew’s ability to transform the field into a pristine playing surface before every game has fascinated her for years.
Ironically, she joked that after the grounds crew finishes its work, the players come onto the field and immediately begin disturbing that perfect surface.
But for Amos, the process itself was part of the beauty of baseball.
A Cancer Survivor With an Inspiring Story
The significance of the experience was even greater because of what Amos has faced away from baseball.
Ten years ago, she was diagnosed with Stage IV neuroendocrine cancer, the same disease that took her mother’s life.
Despite her diagnosis and ongoing treatment, Amos has continued to remain active in her community and participate in cancer research.
Her relationship with baseball has provided another source of joy, inspiration and connection throughout that difficult journey.
Tom Wagenlander, executive director of AARP’s Wish of a Lifetime, said Amos’ request was particularly special because it demonstrated how deeply baseball is woven into her life. Her wish wasn’t simply about meeting a famous player or receiving a valuable souvenir; she wanted to experience one of the less-visible aspects of the game that she had admired for years. ([MLB.com][2])
More Than 100 Baseball Dreams Granted
Amos’ experience is part of a larger effort by AARP’s Wish of a Lifetime to create meaningful experiences for older adults.
The organization has granted nearly 130 baseball-themed wishes, making baseball its most common type of wish. The recipients include women, men and veterans who have longstanding emotional connections to the sport.
Wagenlander explained that many of these wishes originate from childhood memories—often involving a parent taking a son or daughter to a baseball game for the first time.
For these fans, baseball represents much more than competition. It can serve as a connection to family, childhood, community and important moments from their past.
Amos’ story perfectly illustrates that connection.
A Life Dedicated to Helping Others
Long before she became an honorary member of the Cardinals grounds crew, Amos had spent much of her life helping other people.
She previously worked as a doula and childbirth educator, helping more than 1,000 families through childbirth. She spent a decade working at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and also assisted families through private births.
Her work brought her into contact with people from many different backgrounds and languages, something she remembers fondly.
Today, she continues serving her community through volunteer work at Lafayette Preparatory School, where she is affectionately known as “Nana Kim.”
The school is located only about a mile from Busch Stadium, giving Amos another connection to the ballpark she has loved for so many years.
She particularly enjoys the school’s annual baseball outing, when roughly 900 people attend a game and third-grade students go onto the field to sing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.”
Creating New Memories at Busch Stadium
There is something especially fitting about Amos now helping create memories at Busch Stadium after spending much of her life creating her own memories there.
Her childhood experiences with her father, her treasured Joe Torre bat and her admiration for Cardinals legends such as Jim Edmonds all helped shape her connection to the team.
Now she has another story to add to that collection: the day she stepped onto the field and worked alongside the people responsible for preparing it.
For Amos, the experience was about much more than baseball. It represented an opportunity to celebrate life, fulfill a lifelong ambition and experience the game from an entirely different perspective.
The Power of Baseball
Wagenlander believes stories like Amos’ demonstrate why baseball continues to have such a powerful place in people’s lives.
For generations of fans, the sport is connected to family traditions, childhood memories and important life experiences. A visit to a ballpark can become a memory that lasts for decades.
Amos’ story is a powerful example of that connection. Despite facing a serious illness, she has continued to find reasons to remain engaged with her community and the things she loves.
And on Aug. 11, the Cardinals gave her the opportunity to experience one of those passions in a way she had never imagined.
By the end of the day, Amos had done everything she had hoped for—and much more.
She left Busch Stadium with memories of raking the infield, painting the batter’s boxes and learning the secrets behind maintaining the field. She also left with the appreciation of a grounds crew that welcomed her into their workspace.
Most importantly, she left with a story she can carry with her for the rest of her life.
For a woman who had spent decades watching the Cardinals from the stands, getting the chance to step onto the field and help prepare Busch Stadium was the fulfillment of a dream and a beautiful reminder of how baseball can connect generations, inspire hope and create lasting memories.
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