Downingtown West’s Jay Slater, who will lead the school’s baseball team in the PIAA Class 6A playoffs, is determined to make it to the majors, writes Isabella DiAmore for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
In addition to enjoying the game, his goal is to honor his older brother, Tommy, who died in an accident while playing eleven years ago. Slater was 8 at the time, and his brother was 9.
Tommy, who had Down Syndrome, was born with developmental delays and had faced challenges from birth. His perseverance gave his family a new lens on life and continues to do so to this day.
“He always made everybody smile,” said Slater’s mom, Heidi. “He worked hard. Jay always saw Tommy as just his brother. He never looked at him any different. They would play together. They were best buds.”
Slater wants to make his brother proud, especially on the baseball field. And he is succeeding. He has already earned a scholarship to Duke University and is looking to take his career to the next level in the future.
“I play for him,” he said.
Read more about Downingtown West’s Jay Slater playing for his brother in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
______
