JOHN CHALLIS MEMORIAL AWARD WINNER ANNOUNCED
BY WPIAL BASEBALL COACHES ASSOCIATION
PITTSBURGH, April 26, 2010 – The WPIAL Baseball Coaches Association (WBCA) announced today that Michael Gallagher, a senior at Peters Township High School, is the recipient of the second annual John Challis Memorial Award. Michael will be honored at the WBCA’s Awards Banquet on June 11, 2010 at the Airport Marriott.
The John Challis Memorial Award was created to help keep John’s message and memory alive. John graduated from Freedom High School in 2008 and died of cancer two months later, ending a two-year battle with the disease. Before his death, he helped to start the Courage for Life Foundation. The Foundation’s mission is to provide life encouraging sporting experiences and community support for high school athletes with life threatening illnesses. Contributions to the Courage for Life Foundation can be made by visiting its website at www.courageforlifefoundation.org.
An individual must satisfy the following three criteria to be considered for the John Challis Memorial Award: be a current high school student who is either on or associated with his high school baseball team; have overcome or to currently be battling a physical, medical or other significant obstacle; and to serve as an inspiration to his fellow players and coaches.
Mike Gallagher certainly meets all criteria for the Award. At four years old he developed a seizure disorder called Complex Partial Seizures. When his medication failed, Michael experienced seizures every twenty minutes. Normal things like swimming and riding bikes put him in danger while growing up. His prescribed medications helped but had multiple adverse side effects, including trouble focusing in school and taking away his opportunity to participate in sports. Being forced out of baseball was particularly disappointing for Michael, but as in all things he made the best of it by becoming his brother Jimmy’s biggest fan, rooting him on at Duke University and later in the Chicago White Sox organization.
Yet, Michael hoped for a better future for himself. In eighth grade, after he had exhausted all available anti-seizure medicines, he underwent a battery of tests at Children's Hospital to determine if he could be a candidate for brain surgery. Surgically curing the storm of misfiring neurons had a 50% chance of success and included the risk of death, stroke, or paralysis. Still, Michael opted for it. On December 13, 2005 after ten days in the hospital, two brain surgeries, a coma and intensive care, Michael woke up to his new life. He entered ninth grade still recovering from the trauma involved from the surgeries and was able to begin a return to baseball. While his recovery has taken some time, by the end of the tenth grade he was taken off all medication, declared seizure free and completely cured and released from further medical care.
Michael is a true medical miracle and comeback story. He has worked hard to make-up for all the lost time in his life and his dedication has paid off. Michael has maintained a 3.3 GPA throughout high school, has become a two-year Peters Township Varsity Baseball player and starter and is a college prospect with several Division 3 baseball offers. Thanks to Mike's persistence, positive attitude and courage, he was able to overcome this chronic illness and is now looking forward to a bright future graduating high school and moving on to college.