Inspired By Late Sister's Fight, Cancer Survivor Serves As Honorary Cubs Bat Girl
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Cancer survivor Molly Oliver spent a very special day at Wrigley Field on Sunday, serving as honorary bat girl for Mother's Day.
"I've always been a big Cubs fan," she said. "My dad took me to my first Cubs game since I was 6 years old."
A winner of Major League Baseball's Honorary Bat Girl contest, which recognizes fans affected by breast cancer, Molly was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer last summer.
Molly, 30, had a dream day at Wrigley on Sunday. She brought the scorecard out to home plate and met many players, including her favorite, Anthony Rizzo. They have a connection; both are cancer survivors.
"We're like blood sisters and brothers," she told Rizzo.
Molly had a lumpectomy and recently finished chemotherapy and radiation. Through her treatment, she didn't lose her sense of humor.
"My hair is coming back," she said. "I had to use hairspray today."
Molly learned of her diagnosis just a few weeks before her younger sister Grace passed away from a brain tumor at age 24. Molly kept it private until two weeks after the funeral.
"I definitely took a step back, because to me that was more important than anything I was having to go through, because I wasn't going to do die tomorrow," she said. "My situation is very treatable, and I was in very good care with my doctors. I was more focused on being with my family and honoring my sister."
Grace is Molly's inspiration, and Molly tries to bring awareness to breast cancer, especially for young people.
"I found a lump on myself, I was self-aware," she said.
Molly said her sister's own upbeat attitude about her fight with cancer inspired her to keep going, especially because Molly's cancer was treatable, whereas Grace's was not.
"Since her attitude was so positive, I figured mine might as well be too," Molly said.
Molly said Grace's advice to her probably would be to "suck it up."
"She would tell me to keep going," Molly said. "You know, there's no certainty of tomorrow. Hope is a good thing."
It was a day full of grace at Wrigley.
Over the past three years, Grace's family and friends have raised $135,000 for the American Brain Tumor Association.