Oldtimers, Ballgirls join ALS fight
Proceeds from softball game Saturday night will benefit 'Donna's Dugout.'

Joe Holler, (right) of the Allentown Patriots Oldtimers, will play in a benefit game to help 'Donna's Dugout,' which is led by Donna Katcher (left) and Paul Katcher.


Keith Groller
July 31, 2007

Donna Katcher calls Patriots Park ''her second home.''

It's the place where so many special moments took place for the former Parkland High softball star, who went on to excel for the Patriot Queens and Lehigh Valley Panthers summer teams in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

It's also where she was inducted into the Lehigh Valley Softball Hall of Fame on June 20.



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Saturday night figures to be another special ''Pates Park night'' for Katcher and her family and friends. On that night a special benefit softball game pitting the Philadelphia Phillies Ballgirls against the Allentown Patriots Oldtimers will be played.

All proceeds from the matchup will benefit Katcher's ALS Walk team known as ''Donna Dugout.''

Katcher, the former Donna Spence, was a fiery catcher who had the game-winning hit for Parkland in the 1975 state finals. She was diagnosed with ALS -- or, as it's commonly known, Lou Gehrig's Disease -- in June 2005.

Last fall, her ''Donna's Dugout'' team raised more than $11,000 and was the top fund-raising team in the Lehigh Valley Walk to D'Feet ALS at Lehigh Valley College.

Money raised Saturday night will jumpstart this fall's campaign, which will culminate in the fifth annual Walk to D'Feet ALS on Oct. 20.

But besides raising money for a great cause, Katcher believes Saturday's contest is going to be a hoot.

''It's going to be a lot of fun,'' Katcher said. ''The Oldtimers are going to have fun with these young ladies, I'm sure, all for a great cause. The Phillies Ballgirls have some very good athletes. The Oldtimers are still pretty good, too. It's a good matchup.

''Plus, there's no admission charge. All we want people to do is come out, have some fun, and maybe give a little to ALS.''

Katcher got help in putting the whole night together.

''Joe Hoffman [the former Patriots president] told me about the Phillies Ballgirls and mentioned that they do various charity events and my sister, Dawn, then went ahead and contacted them,'' Katcher said. ''Because the Phillies are a huge supporter of the fight against ALS, all fees are being waived. Anything raised Saturday night will go right back to the ALS Association.''

From the moment she was diagnosed with ALS, family, friends and former teammates rallied around the captain and centerpiece of the 1975 state championship team.

''It was unbelievable how everything came together for 'Donna's Dugout' last year,'' she said. ''We raised that money in less than six weeks and it was my former teammates, family and friends who all came together to make it happen. We had about 70 to 75 walkers in our first year and it was a wonderful event. What we'd really love to do is surpass what we raised last year. Total monies raised by the all of the teams was about $88,000, which was the highest total they've ever had.

''This year, they are hoping to reach the $100,000 mark. They're making progress.''

And Katcher is making progress, too, as she goes about her daily life engaged in a fight against a disease that has no cure.

''I'm doing well,'' Katcher said. ''Fortunately, for me, it has been a slow progression. It has been about four years since noticing my first symptom. It took almost two years for me to be diagnosed.

''The average is two to five years from diagnosis to survive the disease and I'm certainly hoping for a lot longer than those five years.''

Katcher said that ALS has changed her approach to life.

''You have to keep going, you can't give up,'' she said. ''Some days, there may be pain, and it may not be a good day physically, but you can't allow yourself to get down. You have to keep living every day to its fullest. That's my goal. I've been so blessed to have great family and friends. I've been so fortunate to have good people and good things in my life. I'm not ready to give those things up. I have so much more I want to do.

''If you have a bad day, you have to fight through it and come back from it. I don't have time to waste.''

The tenacious spirit that made her one of the best softball players in the area, is helping to energize Katcher in her fight against ALS.

''It's amazing how everyone from my nieces to my 1975 teammates have rallied around this cause,'' she said. ''The support has been touching. As much as this is such a negative, so much good has come out of it. I cherish each day, all of the good things in my life, so much more than I did before.

''I don't pity myself, nor do I want anyone to pity me. I can't change what the disease is, but I can change how I choose to live my life with this disease.''

Paul Katcher, Donna's husband, is also energized by his wife's determination to beat ALS.

''She is handling this better than I'm handling it,'' he said. ''She's a go-getter who will fight for everything. It's just another challenge for Donna. She inspires me and helps me get through any bad days I might have. We make every day special.''

Saturday's special event begins at 6 p.m. with the first pitch at 6:30.

keith.groller@mcall.com

610-820-6740

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