Throughout the 2024-2025 baseball season, 19 kids battling serious illnesses or living with disabilities were in the stands cheering on the Fort Wayne TinCaps, a High-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres, and they were all there for free thanks to Georgetown Community Little League player, Theo Price, and the support of those across his neighborhood in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
After being diagnosed in October 2024 with secondary chondrosarcoma, a form of bone cancer, Theo had a major surgery and was cancer-free before the end of the year. Throughout this initial diagnosis, Theo did not want a hashtag on social media or a lot of attention drawn to his battle. However, following a few months of clean scans, he received his second diagnosis after another small chondrosarcoma tumor was found.
“The second time Theo was diagnosed, one of our family friends, who is a part of our baseball family, reached out asking how they could support Theo,” said Kasey Price, Theo’s Mom. “So, they started the hashtag #Swings4Theo and started selling t-shirts and raising money for Theo to donate the money however he wanted.”
Theo started with a couple of little ideas, which included buying a new shed for his Georgetown Community Little League program. Then, one day, the big idea hit him. After his first surgery, Theo’s recovery felt lonely and challenging. It is a time in his life that he has a hard time talking about, and an experience he doesn’t want any other kid battling cancer or a serious illness to have. Knowing how much happiness and joy a night at the ballpark brings him, he decided to use the donations to send kids like him to the TinCaps games, and today’s version of #Swings4Theo was born.
After a second successful surgery in April 2025, Theo was once again cancer-free, and to make sure he had a healthy future ahead of him, he received 36 rounds of pencil-beam proton radiation at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital throughout the summer. While receiving the treatment, he was also hard at work, bringing his #Swings4Theo plan to life.
“We sat side-by-side in our apartment that we had in Cincinnati last summer for his proton radiation treatments, and did the paperwork to become a non-profit,” said Kasey. “We set up the registration form together, and he sent out all the fundraising letters. He wrote the letter that we sent to the TinCaps for the partnership, and he’s been the lead in public relations, telling his story to anyone who will listen.”
Since the start of the program, Swings4Theo has sent the 19 kids and their 76 family members to enjoy a night at the baseball park for free, and each kid receives a $50 gift card for snacks and merchandise. It is an accomplishment that Theo knows would not be possible without the support of his family and friends across the country, as well as the community he has built in Fort Wayne and Georgetown Community LL.
“It means a lot for my community to support me. It’s been a long year, especially after going through two surgeries and proton radiation, which made my summer a little lame,” said Theo. “But it was alright because everybody rallied around me. I’ve made lots of friends, and they’ve basically gotten so close that it’s like they’re family now. So, yeah, it’s just been great and fun.”
The fun shines not only at the TinCaps’ games, but at Georgetown Community LL’s fields, too, when the annual #Swings4Theo Wiffle for a Cause event is underway. After receiving his first diagnosis, the doctors shared with Theo’s family that he would potentially never be able to walk or play baseball again. For their Little Leaguer® who sees the baseball field as a second home, Theo’s parents asked the league if they could give him one last chance to play a game with his friends.
“The local league board approved our wiffle ball game idea. We played under the lights, and our field maintenance guy came out and lined the field for us,” said Barton Price, Theo’s Dad. “Members of the board came out just to watch Theo and his friends play. It was really special for our Little League community to come together and do this for him.”
One year later, #Swings4Theo turned what was originally Theo’s last chance to play the game he loves into an annual event that not only raises funds for the organization but also serves as a day to celebrate and emphasize the fun of baseball. Every player registered as an individual and was divided into teams, so each team featured kids of all ages.
“It was a day to come out to the fields and have fun together. We got some prizes, some sweet hoodies, and the Savannah Bananas donated some gear to us,” said Kasey. “There was a ‘champagne party,’ which was really sparkling water, but when Theo was first diagnosed, he said, ‘When I beat cancer, I want to have a champagne party like they do in the MLB when they win.’ So, to celebrate something he has been waiting so long for and not worry about who is winning, but just putting that aside for a day and just having fun.”
#Swings4Theo will continue to grow, with the TinCaps partnership already renewed for the 2026 season. For Theo, it’s all about bringing a little extra joy into the world.
“If you want to give back to a community, you’re going to want to give back to kids, specifically those in children’s hospitals, because they are going through a tough time, and sometimes it gets boring to be in the hospital when they don’t really want to be there,” said Theo. “But if you can make their day at least a little bit better with your efforts and it makes you happy to give back, then it’s a win-win.”
“Before we renewed it for next year, we stopped and asked Theo, ‘Do you want to keep doing this and putting time into it?’ And he chose to keep going,” said Kasey. “He didn’t choose to sit in his room and be sad about his situation, but he chose to continue to invest time and energy into this and really make the lives of these kids a little brighter.”
For his efforts within his community and his inspiration on the baseball field with Georgetown Little League in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Theo was recognized as a Little League Community Hero, Presented by New York Life, in November 2025. Since 2020, the Community Heroes recognition program has highlighted those dedicated individuals who not only volunteer their time at your local Little League program but also contribute in other ways to make the community better.