By Kevin Praik
April 11, 2019
Bangor, Maine – Husson Eagles Softball looks help raise awareness to Strike Out ALS also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease by dedicating their Saturday, April 13th, a doubleheader against the Thomas Terries to a member of the softball community, Noel Levasseur.
The softball team is raising money for Levasseur who was diagnosed with ALS in November 2017. There is no cure for ALS. The team is fundraising to help Levasseur finance modifications to his home in the near future. There is a gofundme page up to make donations.
A light lunch and refreshments will be served in the area parking lot adjacent to O’Keefe Softball Field starting at 2 PM with an ALS awareness ceremony happening at 3:30 PM. The first pitch for game one is at 4 PM and game two is scheduled to get underway at 6 PM.
ALS is a motor degenerative disease where a person gradually stops having the ability to use certain parts of their body. Their mind reminds fully conscious as all this is going on.
“I wanted to make it more than just a season of softball,” said Husson Eagles senior pitcher and outfielder, Arika Brochu.
To accomplish this, Arika worked with her head coach, Diann Ramsey, to come up with the idea to have a game where local fans can come and support Husson softball along with the fundraiser for Levasseur.
“We [the Husson Softball Team] want to help him out as much as we can,” Arika said.
Arika and her cousin Bri Brochu, who is a junior playing second base, played for Levasseur early in their softball careers.
“He was one of my first travel softball coaches. Myself and one of our teammates, Bri Brochu who is also my cousin,” said Arika. “We wanted to give back a little bit for all of the things he did for us growing up. Teaching us about the love of the game and more than just softball skills, but life skills.
Levasseur coached from 1993 to 2017. He had coached all different age groups.
“I was fortunate enough to be able to have been coached by him. He definitely taught me somethings; grit, just finding that in myself which I have carried on since I was nine years old,” Arika said.
Levasseur will be present for the conference doubleheader against the Thomas Terriers on Saturday, April 13th.
“They’re [the coaching staff] passionate about giving back to somebody that has given so much already to other people,” said Husson Softball Head Coach, Diann Ramsey.
“There’s just something about the softball community that we’re all really connected and we all have a lot of the same passions and the same goals,” Ramsey said. “Being able to help somebody else that’s really instilled that for so long and generated so many great athletes and great people. To be able to give back to what he [has] given to the softball community; it’s really important.”
Arika is still closer friends with Levasseur and his family. She asked him a couple of questions. He said if he could teach people one more thing it would be to live in the present and be appreciative of what you have right now because you do not know when that can change.
He just received one of four national awards for advocating for ALS research.
“There are some other individuals involved with this process that have been affected by this disease,” Ramsey said. “I think that just shedding light to Lou Gehrig’s Disease in general; it means something more. Something bigger than us.”