Here is a link to the original story on the team's website.
Dayton, Ohio – Manual Bidaara, a stroke survivor, will throw out the first pitch at the Dayton Dragons game on Sunday, May 20, at 2:07 p.m. when Kettering Health Network presents the “Strike Out Stroke™” event. The Dragons will be hosting the Great Lakes Loons at Fifth Third Field in downtown Dayton. Strike Out Stroke is a registered trademark of the “Retreat and Refresh Stroke Camp.”
Bidaara, a 17-year-old foreign exchange student from Portugal, was brushing his teeth one morning in April and noticed he couldn’t move his left arm or hand. Then, his left leg gave out and he collapsed. The whole left side of his body went numb and Bidaara began to slur his speech.
Bidaara’s host brother helped him up and notified his host guardian, Jim. Jim knew something was wrong and took Bidaara to the emergency room at Soin Medical Center. There, he was stabilized by Scott Balonier, DO.
After evaluation, it was theorized that Bidaara, who is active in sports, had recently suffered an ankle injury that created a blood clot. The clot moved upwards through his body and passed through a hole in Bidaara’s heart due to a heart condition from his childhood. Then, the clot made its way to Bidaara’s brain and caused the stroke.
Bidaara had surgery in early May at Kettering Medical Center and is on the road to recovery. His career ambition is to one day become a neurologist to study the brain himself.
Kettering Health Network will be on the plaza from noon-2:30 p.m. with stroke awareness and prevention information and will also be passing out various stroke awareness items.
More Information: The Dayton Dragons are the Midwest League affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds and play a 70-game home schedule at beautiful Fifth Third Field in downtown Dayton, easily accessible from Interstate 75. Individuals and groups seeking information about Dayton Dragons group tickets, lawn tickets, the season ticket wait list, sponsorship opportunities or booking a Dragons speaker are encouraged to contact the Dragons by calling at (937) 228-2287, emailing at dragons@daytondragons.com, or on the web at daytondragons.com.
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This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.