BOSTON (WHDH) - Rebecca Alexander is on a mission to throw out the first pitch at several major ballparks this summer.
Today, she pitched at Fenway Park. And she’s doing this to bring awareness to Usher syndrome.
But she says it’s not stopping her from living her life.
“I’ve never been to Fenway, and to be throwing the first pitch out at Fenway Park is a bit surreal, even saying it gives me goosebumps,” she said.
If she looks confident, it may be because standing on a Major League Baseball mound is nothing compared to what she’s overcome in her life.
She’s living with Usher syndrome, a genetic condition that causes a person to slowly go deaf and blind.
“I think when I was first diagnosed with Usher syndrome I was about 19, and I remember thinking that I’d rather die than lose my vision and hearing,” she said. “It sounds very dramatic, but it’s really how I felt.”
But those feelings didn’t last.
“Over time and a tremendous amount of dealing with the emotions that come with this, I realized just how important it is for me to be present and do all the things I can now while I still have as much vision and hearing as I have,” she said.
To say Alexander has refused to let the condition get in her way is a bit of an understatement. She has climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro, swam to Alcatraz, and traveled to Thailand to work with elephants there. She’s also a published author and psychotherapist.
This summer, Alexander has been throwing out the first pitch at Major League Baseball ballparks around the country to raise awareness of Usher syndrome.
“Having Usher syndrome initially I thought was the worst thing that could ever happen to me, and ironically it’s turned into the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” she said.
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