The Story of the Stone Familyby Tracey Stone.
It all began on November 20, 1992! We were set up by a mutual friend and went out on a blind date that included McDonald's and bowling. So very romantic. At the time, I was a high school senior and Ricky was a junior. I continued my education at the local college and lived at home during my college years. Ricky finished his senior year at Hamilton High School and was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in June of 1994. We were so excited, but so sad that he would be so far away. We vowed to continue our relationship long distance.
Baseball can be very tough on a relationship, but we somehow managed to work it all out. I graduated from Miami University in December of 1997 with a degree in Elementary Education. I was hired as a first grade teacher in the fall of 1998 and we began to make our plans for the future. We bought a house that winter and then were married on November 13, 1999. I continued teaching and then going out to spend the summers with him. It was necessary for us both to work as he was still in the minor leagues.
In September of 2001, Ricky had returned home from his first season with the Astros with the AAA club. He was home for a week when he got the call he had waited for his whole life. He got called up to the big leagues! He quickly headed on a plane and was off to meet the team in Houston. I spent the rest of the season traveling on the weekends to visit and teaching during the week. The season ended and we began our offseason as usual.
We decided that it was time to take a leap of faith and have me join him during the season full time. I took a leave of absence starting in January of 2002, and went to my first spring training. That year was amazing for us. He made the big league team out of spring training and had an unbelievable season. We were ready to take the next step in our journey together and begin a family.
We welcomed Lily Marie into our family on May 24, 2003 in Houston, Texas. She was born five weeks early and was such a little peanut. She was such a good baby and has grown into an amazing Kindergartner. She has such a sweet spirit and truly lives life to the fullest. She loves gymnastics, soccer, and Hannah Montana.
Ricky played for Houston again in 2004 and was claimed off of waivers in July by the San Diego Padres. Lily and I packed up and headed out west to join Daddy. We had a wonderful few months in San Deigo. We shared lots of amazing family time there. He became a free agent at the end of the season and we once again headed home.
His dream was always to play for the Cincinnati Reds and we found out in November that he was going to have that opportunity. He signed in November but we knew that he was going to have to make the team or he would be in AAA. AAA was in Louisville, which is only 2 hours from home, so we were so excited either way. In February we packed up and headed down to spring training. We also had a secret, I was pregnant with baby number 2!
We came home with news that he made the AAA team and let everyone know that I was expecting in September. He split his time between the big league club and Louisville and we had such a great time. It was nice to get to live at home when he was with the big league club and only be 2 hours away when he was with the AAA club. We will always cherish the time we spent in Louisville and Cincinnati that summer.
Things ended abruptly in August when he signed with the Cardinals. He decided he was done with baseball and came home. He was ready to move on to a "normal" life. He decided to start a construction company. We opened RLS Remodeling and he began finishing basements and doing tile work.
We welcomed Riley Jefferson into our family on September 9, 2005. He is a crazy three year old now that loves pirates and anything that has to do with a ball. He is rough and tough, but has a very gentle and kind spirit. He is constantly thinking of others.
The business went well during the summer of 2006. However, baseball was never far from his mind. His retirement from baseball was good, but he wasn't sure if he was really done. In January of 2007, he picked up a ball and started throwing. He didn't even skip a beat. Baseball is in his blood and now he was itching to give it another shot. I told him I would support him 100% and if he wasn't done, then let's pack up and go to Spring Training. The Reds agreed to let him come down to spring training and try out for them. He went down and gave it 110%. He made the AAA team out of spring training and he was ecstatic. It was so exciting to make the team after being out for over a year. He even got called up a few times that season. I was so proud. I just kept thinking of what a great role model he is for our children. He proved that determination and hard work really pay off! Seeing him on the mound in Cincinnati that year is a time that will be forever in my mind.
Once again, the Reds gave him another try out for the 2008 year. We had the best spring training ever this year. We spent so much time at the beach and the pool. The kids were old enough to understand and loved getting to see Daddy pitch. He made the AAA team again out of spring training, but was released two weeks later. For the last time, we packed up from Louisville. We were weighing our options on what to do next, and before we could make a decision, we found ourselves heading to Taiwan. Yes, Taiwan. We saw it as an unique experience and were so excited to go. We spent the next two months living in Taiwan and immersing ourselves in their culture. We also became very close to God during that time. With no real english tv and nothing else to do, we read our bibles and I began blogging. Our faith grew and our knowledge of the bible grew. Our family became so close and God was the glue holding us together. Our trip ended as quickly as it started. Ricky, who has never been hurt in his entire baseball career, tore his hamstring. We headed home to start the next part of our journey.
Ricky decided that he wanted to teach pitching lessons. He wanted to use his story to encourage others with the same hopes and dreams that he had. He also wanted to become a pitching coach, so we decided to start his resume. However, since we didn't have insurance yet since coming home from Taiwan, I was weighing my options. I really wanted to get a full time teaching position again, but nothing was open and subbing was my only option in the school district. Unfortunately, that does not come with insurance. Riley was starting preschool at The Potter's House and they had a position open for a three year old teacher and it had full benefits. Riley would be close to me and Lily could meet me there after school. I accepted the position on the morning of August 7, 2008. Our insurance would kick in as soon as I started the job. That night however, our lives changed forever.
Ricky suffered a grand mal seizure at our home around 8:40 pm that night. I had the kids in the bathtub and something told me to call his name. I turned off the water and yelled down to him. I just heard a horrible very quiet gasp. I ran downstairs and found him seizing on the couch. I thought he was having a heart attack. Seizure never even crossed my mind. I called 911 and got him on the floor and on his side. The kids had run down by this time, so they were on the other side of him. I just remember that the 911 operator kept asking me if he was breathing, and he was, but it was very labored. He had broken blood vessels around his eyes and on his chest. Then he stopped seizing and stopped breathing. The operator told me to do CPR, so with the kids holding his hand, I started CPR. They prayed while I was trying to breath life into him. On the second set of rescue breaths, he started breathing again, but it was even worse than before. Many people have asked how I did CPR on my husband with my kids there. I only have one answer. God worked through me to help Ricky.
He ended up being diagnosed with a large brain tumor in the front left lobe of his brain that required surgery. The surgeons were able to remove 90% of the tumor. We were than dealt another blow when we found out that the tumor was a very rare anaplastic oligodendroglioma tumor. It was also a grade III, which meant it was malignant. He would need to undergo radiation and chemotherapy.
Our family has traveled a very long journey thus far that has been full of twists and turns. Each one has made us grow stronger. Each one has brought us closer together. Each one has brought us closer to God. Even though we are walking through the toughest times we've faced so far, we are strong. Our faith is strong and we know that Ricky will be healed. This story is just the beginning of an unbelievable testimony that God is building for our family. We must have faith that even though we may not understand why, God does.
Thank you for taking the time to stop by and help out our family. We appreciate it so very much.
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11
