‘I would just feel happy to be back on the field’

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – It’s news that’ll take any family by surprise; finding out one of their children has cancer.

That’s what happened to the Vaught family a couple months ago when they found out their son, Jensen, had Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma.

Jensen’s dad, Chris Vaught, said his son has a big passion for playing baseball.

“If it’s a normal day, he goes to school and the next thing you know he’s on the baseball field doing something with baseball,” Vaught said.

Those days have changed a lot recently. Jensen spent this week at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital to get cancer treatment.

“It’s really hard to see, especially when he’s such an active kid. I mean that was one of the first signs we noticed was his energy started draining,” Vaught said.

When he’s not getting treatment though, Vaught said his son still tries to make it back on the diamond.

“He still plays. He just played this past Sunday with his team for the first time in two months. He still has energy to him. Weeks like this when he’s in the hospital, no he has zero energy,” Vaught said.

Jensen has been a part of Gibbs Youth Sports essentially his whole life. The youth sports president, Nate Stachey, said he wanted to do something to help the family during this troubling time.

That’s why Gibbs Youth Sports is organizing a youth baseball tournament with all of the money raised going to pay for Jensen’s medical bills.

“It’s just on my heart real big to help them,” Stachey said. “Just to see that kid and to know like tonight he’s trying to recover and after taking meds all day and going through therapy, it plays on you as a man and as a father.”

Stachey said they already have about 25 teams signed up, but they’re hoping to get more before the tournament on Sept. 13 and 14.

Jensen said he’d like to get back on the field for the tournament.

“I would just feel happy to be back on the field,” Jensen Vaught said. “I’m happy to see all of the people coming out and supporting me.”

The tournament will be for 6U, 8U, 10U, 12U and 13U baseball teams. It’ll be at Gibbs Ruritarian Park. The cost for each team is $50 and there’s a $10 gate fee for parents. All of the money raised with go to the Vaught family.

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