Shantall Shimogayto sat on the first base line Sunday afternoon, munching on a hamburger in one hand and selling 50/50 raffle tickets with the other.
There was a softball game going on, a fundraiser between the North Bergen police and the faculty at North Bergen High School. The 18-year-old Shimogayto, smiling from ear to ear, was participating in the game.
You would have never known that the whole day was a celebration of Shantall.
The North Bergen High School senior was stricken with a rare form of cancer 18 months ago, called osteogenic sarcoma, which forced the teen to lose her right leg.
The North Bergen Police Department and the teachers at North Bergen High School decided to hold a charity softball game to help Shantall’s family handle the immense medical costs.
So who was Shantall rooting for in the charity showdown?
“It’s a tough decision,” she said as she watched the festivities. “Everyone is being nice to me, so I really can’t say. I can’t pick one team.”
She didn’t have to. The whole day was for her. It didn’t matter who won or lost. The cause was the winner, as more than $10,000 was raised.
“This is amazing,” said Detective Henry Marrero, who helped to organize the event. “I didn’t expect anything like this. It’s been really inspiring to see the way the entire community came out to help Shantall. It’s far better than what I could have expected.”
Except for the outcome. The teachers manhandled the cops by a final score of 15-3.
“They had a lot of ringers,” Marrero said. “I thought the final score was 2-1.”
Clean sweep
The teachers also defeated the North Bergen Little League coaches, 6-4, to make it a clean sweep. Wayne Giordano hit a bunch of monstrous homers right down the right field line. Kenny Martoral was the winning pitcher in both games. Baseball coach Patrick Brady had his fair share of big hits.
Board of Education secretary and Finance Commissioner Hugo Cabrera was on hand, not trying to show any favoritism to either team.
“It’s just a great day,” Cabrera said. “Everyone has come out to support Shantall. It’s wonderful to see the entire community come out and support her. It’s a true community event in the finest form. I’m glad to be a part of it.”
Marrero thanked everyone for lending a hand.
“I wanted to thank everyone who participated, because without them, it wouldn’t have happened,” Marrero said. “I can’t thank everyone enough. From the teachers, to the administration at the high school, to the mayor [Nicholas Sacco], to the Police Chief [William Galvin, who played in the game], to all the businesses who made donations.”
Marrero added one person to thank.
“And Shantall,” Marrero said. “I think we all have to thank Shantall, because she was the one who brought us together. She wanted to participate somehow.”
Blessed
“Of course, I wish I was playing,” Shimogayto said. “I hope I can play again someday.”
Shimogayto felt so overwhelmed by the outpouring of support.
“I really feel blessed,” Shimogayto said. “I never thought this would turn out so big like this. It makes me feel good that all these people all care about me so much. It’s a great day and I’m really having a lot of fun.”
Her smile said it all.
“The idea just sort of took off,” Marrero said. “I was hoping to raise about $2,500. We went way beyond that. It’s truly a gift from God.”
Jim Hague can be reached via e-mail at either OGSMAR@aol.com or jhague@hudsonreporter.com