Wenatchee Dad Throws Out First Pitch to Son at Mariners Recovery Day Game in Seattle
And members of the Central Recovery Coalition get featured on King 5 for their work to end the stigma of addiction and recovery
On Sunday, Aug. 27, Travis Aasen threw out the first pitch at the Seattle Mariners game at T-Mobile Park in Seattle. His eight-year-old son Auggie caught the ball.
It was Recovery Day and the theme was “Families in Recovery.”
Aasen grew up in “the rooms,” attending 12-step meetings with his mother, who was an addict.
“I remember being a kid and going to meetings with my mom and seeing certain things work for certain people,” he said. “That seed was planted at such a young age.”
He also grew up loving the Mariners. He played Little League and idolized Ken Griffey Jr., Jay Buhner, and Edgar Martinez. Like many boys who grew up in the Pacific Northwest in the 90s, he had the iconic “Kid Dynamite” poster of Ken Griffey Jr. on his bedroom wall.
But his own path to addiction started at 14. And it would be 20 years before he started getting serious about recovery, returning to the rooms where, as a child, he saw his mother and other addicts gain some peace.
He got clean. And he stayed clean for about four years. Then he stumbled.
“Sadly I did relapse last winter. Lost some clean time. But I bounced back,” he said. “Thankfully I got people like Victor and a whole community of people to love me when I can’t love myself.”
Victor Estrada, Aasen’s sponsor and friend, is a leader in the Central Washington Recovery Coalition. After Travis relapsed, Victor knew how the possibility of being a part of the Mariners’ Recovery Day game would be for his sponsee to get clean again.
“Every year he asks who’s going to be throwing out the first pitch,” Estrada said. “And in my head, I’m thinking ‘Man this has gotta be the motivator to make him want to stay clean.’”
So he sent an email to a contact at the Washington Recovery Alliance. They make the final suggestion on who should be given the honor of throwing out the first pitch on Recovery Day.
“I was like, ‘Hey Heather, I got a sponsee who loves baseball. The Mariners is his team. He’s just coming back from relapse and I think this is something that would help him in his recovery,’” he said.
She asked Aasen to write an email about why he should be chosen, and he got to work. They sent it and a selection of photos of Aasen in the “minor, minor leagues” as Estrada put it.
Then they waited. It was months before they heard back.
“And then one day we got an email and she was like, ‘Hey the theme this year is families in recovery so let me run it by the board and see what they say,’” Estrada said. “And next thing you know they were like, ‘We’re going to do this.’”
Unfortunately, Auggie broke an arm last week so he has a cast on his right arm. However, that’s his throwing arm and he had no trouble catching the ball.
You can watch the pitch, and the catch, here courtesy of the Seattle Mariners.
On the morning of the game, Estrada got an unexpected call from a producer at King 5 who asked if he could be at their studios downtown by 7. They wanted to interview him and hear more about his story, his connection with Travis, and why he’s passionate about recovery.
You can watch that interview segment here.
My Two Cents
I’d like to applaud Travis’ openness and bravery in sharing some of the details of his recovery journey, and being honest about his relapse and how that was a struggle for him. A big part of ending the stigma associated with addiction and recovery is honestly portraying what it is like to live with addiction. And folks in recovery will tell you they are addicts, even if they’ve been clean for decades. They might not be in active addiction, but they still consider themselves to be addicts and that’s why the community baked into the 12-step programs is so important to their ability to get clean and stay clean.
It’s hard to share such a personal struggle, opening yourself up to the judgement of others. But it’s important because if Travis and Victor can do it so can you, or your loved one or best friend. Telling a story of relapse and struggle like Travis’ is especially important, because it showcases the reality of what the journey to recovery can be like. It also showcases what we all have to live for, free of drugs and alcohol.
And that is friends, family and community.
I think it’s important for folks in the media to try to tell stories of recovery and redemption as a part of our coverage of topics like the opioid epidemic and mental health crisis because it’s so easy for us to “other” groups like addicts, or sexual, racial or religious minorities. It reinforces the stereotype that there is no redemption for those in active addiction and makes it easier to dehumanize addicts.
If you would like to know more about the Central Recovery Coalition, you can find them on Facebook and YouTube. I produced the “Stories of Recovery” video series showcasing Victor, Joseph Hunter, and other recovery leaders in the region.
If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, you can reach out to the recovery coalition online, or visit the Alano Club in Wenatchee here.
excellent article.
Thanks for sharing!