Angels Catcher Logan O'Hoppe Wears Chest Protector Featuring Drawings from Children's Hospital Patients
The player's equipment featured signatures and drawings from patients going through cancer treatments at the Miller's Children's Hospital
Los Angeles Angels catcher Logan O'Hoppe was sporting an extra special chest protector during the MLB's Player's Weekend.
O'Hoppe, 24, played the Angels' three games in Anaheim, Calif. against the Atlanta Braves wearing the signatures and drawings from patients going through cancer treatments at the Miller's Children's Hospital.
The Long Island native — who was drafted by the Phillies in 2018 — brought the chest protector for the patients at the children's hospital to sign during a visit with Angels pitcher Hunter Strickland on Tuesday, Aug. 13, as seen in a video shared by the MLB on X (formerly Twitter).
Before debuting his custom equipment at the game, O'Hoppe told reporters, including Men's Journal, “We had the kids sign and draw pictures on it and then they wrote their names on the inside."
"It’s going to be a cool weekend and hopefully it gives them all something to smile about," he continued. "I'm happy that they're giving us an opportunity to bring light to a lot of things we care about.”
The catcher's gear that Logan O'Hoppe will be wearing for #PlayersWeekend was decorated by some special fans from the Miller Children's and Women's Hospital in Long Beach. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/0cMRr3txpz
— MLB (@MLB) August 17, 2024
Related: Yankees’ Aaron Judge Becomes Fastest Player to Reach 300 Career Home Runs in MLB History
The sweet gesture to honor patients at the hospital fighting cancer served as a nod to O'Hoppe's father, who celebrated becoming two-years free of cancer at his son's road game against the New York Yankees on Aug. 7, according to the MLB.
The O'Hoppe family went big for their celebration of Michael O'Hoppe, gathering 350 of their friends at Yankee Stadium near where Logan grew up on Long Island as a big fan of the New York baseball team.
Dr. Oscar Lahoud, who grew close to the O'Hoppe family while treating Michael at Memorial Sloan Kettering, was the family's guest of honor during the game. “It’s a true privilege,” Dr. Lahoud told MLB.com, emphasizing "how tight of a family nucleus" the O'Hoppes are as a unit.
"It’s really quite amazing. And Logan hasn’t changed over the years, even after becoming the superstar he is today," Dr. Lahoud added.
Related: ‘Bee Guy’ Who Removed Hive from MLB Game Wins Over Crowd, Gets First Pitch: 'Pretty Hyped Up'
Also speaking to MLB on Aug. 7, Michael said it's a "blessing" to be able to celebrate being two years free of cancer with his family at Yankee Stadium. “Not too long ago, I didn’t know if I’d be here or not," Michael said. "So to have my friends and family and the doctor who saved my life and his staff here, it means everything. I’m just beyond blessed and grateful.”
Logan told the MLB that is was "terrifying" when his father was diagnosed. "But it taught us a lot about life and really put things in perspective. Like when you go through that, it seems that baseball doesn't matter as much."
"Obviously, he's cured now and wouldn't want to go through it again, but definitely grateful for the lessons we learned," the Angels catcher shared.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.