On the day after Cailen Vela’s memorial service, his family stood on the field in Comerica Park, watching a video tribute for him on the giant scoreboard.
“It was very special, very emotional, and it meant everything,” his mother, Aly Vela, said on Sunday, May 17. “We knew we needed to be here and be with the Tigers and in this environment. Even just stepping onto the field today was instant tears. This is where Cailen would want to be.”
Cailen, 7, died on May 5 from a rare oral tumor in his ear and mandible.
“While Cailen may have been small in stature, he stood for something bigger,” the announcer said on the video, as photographs of Cailen flashed on the scoreboard. “It’s why the disease didn’t define him, and why we remember Cailin on this day and all that follow. Cailen Thomas Vela, forever a Detroit Tiger.”
Detroit Tigers pitcher Ty Madden, who was put in the injured list on Sunday morning, presented Cailen’s family with a Tigers jersey signed by the entire team.
“In honor of the life and bravery of Cailen,” the announcer said, “for having such a strong impact on our organization, players and fans, and continuing to help inspire kids to kick cancer.”
After the national anthem, Tigers manager A.J. Hinch approached the Vela family, sharing a solemn moment with them.
“He said, ‘Thank you for being here and sorry for your loss,’” Cody Vela, Cailen’s father, said. “He really just wanted to be there for us.”
“You can just feel the energy and the love from everyone. We can feel him in spirit,” his mother said of her son
Superheroes battling cancer
Before the Tigers lost to the Toronto Blue Jays 4-1 on Sunday, nine little superheroes, wearing capes, ran onto the field. Each one of those kids is battling cancer, and they took a position next to one of the Tigers as they warmed up. The Tigers talked with the kids and signed balls for them.
Back on Sept. 23, 2023, Cailen was one of those kids in a similar moment. He stood on the pitching mound wearing a cape and met Sawyer Gipson-Long, who was making his MLB debut for the Tigers.
A friendship was formed, and it blossomed into something beautiful.
Stretching way beyond sports.
Gipson-Long, who is now playing with Triple-A Toledo, sent the family a video that was supposed to be played at the funeral. But there were technical difficulties.
“We built a really strong relationship,” Gipson-Long said on the video. “Cailen was a huge part of my life for the last three years. I’m so thankful I got to know him and befriend him and befriend his family. I’m also very excited that I get to continue his legacy for years to come.”
Tigers honor the warriors
In the Tigers dugout, Madden looked at the children battling cancer with awe in his eyes.
“They’re so tough,” he said. “What they go through is amazing. They’re stronger than any of us.”
“Has your family dealt with cancer?” I asked him.
“My father-in-law has a battle with cancer right now,” Madden said. “It sucks for everybody, yeah.”
It’s hard to find somebody who doesn’t know somebody battling this evil disease.
In the past few months, I’ve lost a sister-in-law and a cousin to cancer. So I found it so touching and heartwarming and inspirational how the Tigers put a spotlight on cancer for an entire weekend.
And it touched everybody in all kinds of ways.
“I’m a father of two,” Hinch said. “My two girls are out of the house now and starting to flourish in life, and it makes me really appreciate their journey because not everybody has been as fortunate as me to have two healthy kids get in and out of the house and get to college. It puts life perspective at a whole new level.
“I’ve talked to numerous kids who have struggled with cancer or struggled through their childhood, and we’re lucky to do what we do, especially on days like today, where I’m going home after a loss. I’m going home to a full family, and people today either aren’t or are fearful that they’re not going to one day, and that should touch all of us.”
That is what this weekend was about: perspective and raising awareness and keeping a spotlight on this horrible disease.
But it was more than that. This was about honoring the warriors themselves.
The little kids standing on the field before the game.
And the men and woman and grandparents and grandmothers and players and sons and daughters – everybody really – who are united in this fight. Surviving and battling and praying for miracles.
“This day is incredible,” said Cindy Cohen, the chief program officer at Matio Kids Kicking Cancer, of which Cailen was a member. “It’s just an incredible day and so important.”
Then, I asked her about Cailen. About his loss.
“It was devastating,” Cohen said. “To have it hit one of the kids in our program and a child in general, who’s just had to go through an unimaginable experience, it’s so serious. It’s so important to have continued research and medications and treatments for kids to move this forward.”
Beautiful, heart-melting legacy
As Cailen was dying, he showed one last act of true unselfishness.
True love.
More than anything, he wanted to help other kids.
“In Cailen’s last clear conversation, we talked about how we can keep his life going and his legacy,” his mother said. “He talked about wanting to give toys and, specifically, gaming equipment, Switches and iPads and things like that to other kids so they can stay connected with their friends in the hospital.”
But what would they name this non-profit?
Cailen came up with the name.
A name that was simply perfect.
“Cailen loves everybody,” he said.
So that is what this non-profit is being called, as the family works to set up the paperwork, trying to raise money to help all the other little warriors. For now, people can send a Venmo to @CailenLovesEverybody. But they are working to make it official. To make it lasting.
What a beautiful, touching legacy and an important lesson from a child.
Sometimes, the toughest warriors are the smallest.
And sometimes, the most profound message is not what you did in your life or how many years you lived, it’s what you leave behind.
Standing for something bigger.
Forever a Tiger.
Contact Jeff Seidel at jseidel@freepress.com or follow him @seideljeff.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Tigers pay tribute to special child in a wonderful, heart-melting way
Reporting by Jeff Seidel, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
