In 2014, MLB umpire Will Little visited his first children’s hospital as part of the UMPS CARE Charities Blue for Kids Hospital program . Across Major League cities every season, umpires hand deliver Build-A-Bear animals and outfits, along with baseball-themed activity books and more to kids undergoing medical treatment at pediatric hospitals across the country.

Spending time with sick children and families, Little said, “quickly puts life back into perspective.” Every year since, Little has made sure to attend at least one visit as his schedule allows.

But in 2024, that perspective shifted in a whole lot of ways.

During Spring Training that year, Little’s youngest son, Beckham, fell gravely ill with what was later diagnosed as a severe case of E. coli. Four years old at the time, Bec

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