Last week at the Rose Café Laura Rodriguez de Simons discussed her role in the advocacy center and some of the things that the center does to help people who are in need of support. Immediately during the talk I thought of the baseball player R.A. Dickey. When R.A. was very young, he was sexually assaulted by his babysitter. He grew up with this experience always with him, but he channeled his pain into sports. In particular baseball. Throughout his high school and college career, Dickey was considered to be one of best prospects in the country. He was even selected to pitch on Team USA for the Olympics. After the Olympics, Dickey was drafted in the first round of the MLB draft and signed a large signing bonus. But then a problem arose. When looking at a picture of Dickey from the cover of the Baseball America, the Rangers noticed that Dickey’s arm was bent at a abnormal angle. When doctors took a look at x-rays, they found that he was born without a UCL in his arm (a ligament that basically holds the arm together). The doctors said that he shouldn’t be able to open a doorknob without pain. Dickey described this feeling as being “damaged goods”. As a result, the Rangers significantly reduced his signing bonus. Coupled with his struggles off the field, Dickey struggled on the field as well. At one point, after cheating on his wife, Dickey contemplated suicide. After receiving help through counseling along with a new faith in god and support from his family, Dickey was able to turn things around on and off the field. Dickey became a knuckleball pitcher and eventually won the Cy Young Award (highest honor for a pitcher) while he was with my hometown METS. R.A. Dickey is an example of how people who have had very harmful experiences with the right support can turn things around and make their situations better. Laura Rodriguez de Simons’ work helps to turn things around.