Randy York's N-Sider
Ten years ago, Curtis Ledbetter was in his third year as a Nebraska baseball starter. The Lawrence, Kan., native, earned First-Team All-Big 12 honors as both a designated hitter and at first base. Named the Big 12's MVP for leading the Huskers to the conference tournament championship, Ledbetter was a historic figure, helping Nebraska win its first College World Series game in Omaha. Life was like a bowl of Big Red cherries for Ledbetter, who is now the Director of Operations for Nebraska Baseball, which will host Minnesota in a three-game home series Friday, Saturday and Sunday, April 10-12.
Friday's 7:05 p.m. series opener will feature flashbacks to that CWS team and reward the first 2,000 Husker fans through the gates with commemorative red t-shirts. Saturday's 6:05 p.m. start at Hawks Field will showcase a series of video highlights from that 2005 team, and Sunday's 1:05 p.m. series finale will help Husker fans support Laney Ledbetter, the 2-year-old daughter of Curtis and Monica Ledbetter. The hashtag #Love4Laney creates awareness and honors five other Nebraskans already blessed with gifts of various organ transplants - Brad Irvine, Rowena Novy, Abby Huether, Hope Weber, and Troy Gulzow. These successful recipients will be acknowledged at Sunday's game, which also gives fans the opportunity to sign up as potential donors. Laney was diagnosed with Progressive Familial Intrahepatic Cholestasis Type 2, which means her liver doesn't produce and move bile the way it should, so Laney's body can absorb all the nutrients it needs. Nebraska Medicine doctors in Omaha told Curtis and Monica that their daughter eventually will need a transplant, and when that time arrives, both parents are relieved that a plan and a team of doctors are in place to perform the surgery.
Ledbetter Family Leading the Charge to Raise Awareness
With more than 114,000 Americans waiting for life-saving organ transplants, the Ledbetter family wanted to help lead the charge to create awareness for a need that is incredibly high. "You never think it's going to happen to you," Curtis said. "You hear stories now and then about things like this. Sadly, we all think about what a terrible thing to happen, but you never think it's going to affect you in any way in your lifetime. Then, all of a sudden, it does. It got our family real fast."
Six years ago, former Nebraska Director of Athletics Tom Osborne asked Ledbetter, who had played three years of professional baseball with the Seattle Mariners organization, to become Nebraska Baseball's Director of Operations. Then Osborne hired Darin Erstad as the Huskers' head baseball coach, and life took off from there for the Ledbetters, especially when Laney was born on January 12, 2013. Four months later, little Laney, pictured above, could not keep liquids down and had no energy. Her dad will never forget the scared look in her eyes. The next morning, because of a massive brain bleed, Laney was hooked up to a ventilator and flown by helicopter from Lincoln to the Nebraska Medicine facility in Omaha for treatment.
Curtis: Inner Strength, Determination 'Unbelievable' Gift
"The first thing you do is say, it's going to be all right," said Curtis, pictured above, giving Laney her bottle. "You just have to learn how to deal with it. I'm telling you, you find strength as a human in those times that you never leave behind. As a parent and a husband, the strength and the determination that you find to help that little kiddo is unbelievable. Your life completely changes, and our time right now is to make sure that Laney is okay, to make sure that she feels comfortable, and to make sure that she's living one heck of a life in the now and in the present." Curtis and Monica know their little Laney will need a liver transplant sometime, so she can continue to thrive, grow and live a full life. "What we have on a day-to-day basis is much more than what the typical parent has to deal with," Curtis said. "There are just so many things you have to keep an eye on. It's a grind, but we have Lacey, and we're thankful for that."
Not a day goes by without feeling fortunate "to have Darin Erstad as my boss," Ledbetter said. "The things that most people probably don't see in Darin are unbelievable. He's such an incredible family man. It's amazing what his family means to him. It changed his life. I mean, if I need to go to a doctor's appointment in Omaha, Darin just says 'Go'! He always says 'take care of your family, man they always come first.' No matter how good things are going, you have to take care of your family. That's the No.1 priority for his staff members. My gosh, I could never thank the man enough for the support that he's given to me, and the time that's he's given to me to be with Monica and Laney. It's been an incredible ride, and thank goodness, I have a guy who understands the importance of spending time with Laney. He never asks questions."
Laney's Dad Praises Nebraska Athletic Department Culture
Ledbetter, pictured above, says baseball reflects the culture of Nebraska's Department of Athletics. "We're in a special situation," he said. "When Laney went through everything, we didn't know if she was going to make it through the night."
Lane Grindle, one of Nebraska's baseball announcers who works for IMG, approached the Ledbetters to reach out and help create awareness for organ donations. "It's a really big deal to create awareness," Curtis said. "When we started, it was such a long process. We didn't know what was going on and then Laney was diagnosed with this rare disease. We were taken back a little because no one in our family had had any issues with this disease.
"We stepped back and asked 'what's our next step?' We decided it was to spread the word to the general public on our Facebook and Twitter accounts and getting involved with organ donations," Ledbetter said. "We started talking to families and groups. We had radio-thons, and I was more than happy to be a voice for Laney and others like her. The fan support that we have at the University of Nebraska is incredible. We touch a lot of people, and it's important for us to get this cause in front of their eyes and create awareness." Ledbetter has been listed as an organ donor since he received his driver's license. "When you make that decision, you don't know who it is going to affect," he said. "Then, all of a sudden, you realize you're one of the families that's going to be a recipient someday."
Hoffmans, Harrimans Inspire Ledbetters to Keep Living
Ledbetter has talked to the parents of Jack Hoffman, Nebraska's well-known pediatric brain cancer patient. He's also talked to Chris Harriman, the Huskers' assistant basketball coach whose son, Avery Harriman, shows no recent evidence of his third bout with leukemia. Husker fans supported the Harriman family by signing up as bone marrow transplant donors last February. "You have to continue to live your life," Ledbetter said. "You're always going to be there for your kids. We've had conversations with the Harrimans, and they've been supportive. They've always been there to lend words of advice anytime we needed it. The biggest thing is to keep living life and not let this hold you back. It's difficult. You have to stay on the same page and communicate with the doctors and nurses. We give seven to eight doses of medicine to Laney every day, similar to what the Harrimans do every night. We're doing everything we can to educate people on what we do in our daily lives, and it's okay if they don't understand."
Bottom line, Ledbetter says the Nebraska Athletics culture goes well beyond winning. "Every fan likes wins," he said. "For fans that have seen Laney's story and understand what all she's been through and ask how she's doing, it's a pretty big deal. They don't have to ask. I don't see Shawn Eichorst very often, but every time I do he asks how the family's doing and how Laney's doing, and that means something to me. He doesn't have to do that. Fans don't have to do that either. Even fans that we don't necessarily know ask us how Laney and our family are doing, and that means a lot to us. They don't have to do that, but I'm glad they do because I always get to tell them the same thing about Laney that little girl is an absolute fighter!"
NU: Huskers Excited to Show Their 'Love 4 Laney'
Ten years ago, Curtis Ledbetter was in his third year as a Nebraska baseball starter. The Lawrence, Kan., native, earned First-Team All-Big 12 honors as both a designated hitter and at first base. Named the Big 12's MVP for leading the Huskers to the conference tournament championship, Ledbetter was a historic figure, helping Nebraska win its first College World Series game in Omaha. Life was like a bowl of Big Red cherries for Ledbetter, who is now the Director of Operations for Nebraska Baseball, which will host Minnesota in a three-game home series Friday, Saturday and Sunday, April 10-12.
Friday's 7:05 p.m. series opener will feature flashbacks to that CWS team and reward the first 2,000 Husker fans through the gates with commemorative red t-shirts. Saturday's 6:05 p.m. start at Hawks Field will showcase a series of video highlights from that 2005 team, and Sunday's 1:05 p.m. series finale will help Husker fans support Laney Ledbetter, the 2-year-old daughter of Curtis and Monica Ledbetter. The hashtag #Love4Laney creates awareness and honors five other Nebraskans already blessed with gifts of various organ transplants - Brad Irvine, Rowena Novy, Abby Huether, Hope Weber, and Troy Gulzow. These successful recipients will be acknowledged at Sunday's game, which also gives fans the opportunity to sign up as potential donors. Laney was diagnosed with Progressive Familial Intrahepatic Cholestasis Type 2, which means her liver doesn't produce and move bile the way it should, so Laney's body can absorb all the nutrients it needs. Nebraska Medicine doctors in Omaha told Curtis and Monica that their daughter eventually will need a transplant, and when that time arrives, both parents are relieved that a plan and a team of doctors are in place to perform the surgery.
Ledbetter Family Leading the Charge to Raise Awareness
With more than 114,000 Americans waiting for life-saving organ transplants, the Ledbetter family wanted to help lead the charge to create awareness for a need that is incredibly high. "You never think it's going to happen to you," Curtis said. "You hear stories now and then about things like this. Sadly, we all think about what a terrible thing to happen, but you never think it's going to affect you in any way in your lifetime. Then, all of a sudden, it does. It got our family real fast."
Six years ago, former Nebraska Director of Athletics Tom Osborne asked Ledbetter, who had played three years of professional baseball with the Seattle Mariners organization, to become Nebraska Baseball's Director of Operations. Then Osborne hired Darin Erstad as the Huskers' head baseball coach, and life took off from there for the Ledbetters, especially when Laney was born on January 12, 2013. Four months later, little Laney, pictured above, could not keep liquids down and had no energy. Her dad will never forget the scared look in her eyes. The next morning, because of a massive brain bleed, Laney was hooked up to a ventilator and flown by helicopter from Lincoln to the Nebraska Medicine facility in Omaha for treatment.
Curtis: Inner Strength, Determination 'Unbelievable' Gift
"The first thing you do is say, it's going to be all right," said Curtis, pictured above, giving Laney her bottle. "You just have to learn how to deal with it. I'm telling you, you find strength as a human in those times that you never leave behind. As a parent and a husband, the strength and the determination that you find to help that little kiddo is unbelievable. Your life completely changes, and our time right now is to make sure that Laney is okay, to make sure that she feels comfortable, and to make sure that she's living one heck of a life in the now and in the present." Curtis and Monica know their little Laney will need a liver transplant sometime, so she can continue to thrive, grow and live a full life. "What we have on a day-to-day basis is much more than what the typical parent has to deal with," Curtis said. "There are just so many things you have to keep an eye on. It's a grind, but we have Lacey, and we're thankful for that."
Not a day goes by without feeling fortunate "to have Darin Erstad as my boss," Ledbetter said. "The things that most people probably don't see in Darin are unbelievable. He's such an incredible family man. It's amazing what his family means to him. It changed his life. I mean, if I need to go to a doctor's appointment in Omaha, Darin just says 'Go'! He always says 'take care of your family, man they always come first.' No matter how good things are going, you have to take care of your family. That's the No.1 priority for his staff members. My gosh, I could never thank the man enough for the support that he's given to me, and the time that's he's given to me to be with Monica and Laney. It's been an incredible ride, and thank goodness, I have a guy who understands the importance of spending time with Laney. He never asks questions."
Laney's Dad Praises Nebraska Athletic Department Culture
Ledbetter, pictured above, says baseball reflects the culture of Nebraska's Department of Athletics. "We're in a special situation," he said. "When Laney went through everything, we didn't know if she was going to make it through the night."
Lane Grindle, one of Nebraska's baseball announcers who works for IMG, approached the Ledbetters to reach out and help create awareness for organ donations. "It's a really big deal to create awareness," Curtis said. "When we started, it was such a long process. We didn't know what was going on and then Laney was diagnosed with this rare disease. We were taken back a little because no one in our family had had any issues with this disease.
"We stepped back and asked 'what's our next step?' We decided it was to spread the word to the general public on our Facebook and Twitter accounts and getting involved with organ donations," Ledbetter said. "We started talking to families and groups. We had radio-thons, and I was more than happy to be a voice for Laney and others like her. The fan support that we have at the University of Nebraska is incredible. We touch a lot of people, and it's important for us to get this cause in front of their eyes and create awareness." Ledbetter has been listed as an organ donor since he received his driver's license. "When you make that decision, you don't know who it is going to affect," he said. "Then, all of a sudden, you realize you're one of the families that's going to be a recipient someday."
Hoffmans, Harrimans Inspire Ledbetters to Keep Living
Ledbetter has talked to the parents of Jack Hoffman, Nebraska's well-known pediatric brain cancer patient. He's also talked to Chris Harriman, the Huskers' assistant basketball coach whose son, Avery Harriman, shows no recent evidence of his third bout with leukemia. Husker fans supported the Harriman family by signing up as bone marrow transplant donors last February. "You have to continue to live your life," Ledbetter said. "You're always going to be there for your kids. We've had conversations with the Harrimans, and they've been supportive. They've always been there to lend words of advice anytime we needed it. The biggest thing is to keep living life and not let this hold you back. It's difficult. You have to stay on the same page and communicate with the doctors and nurses. We give seven to eight doses of medicine to Laney every day, similar to what the Harrimans do every night. We're doing everything we can to educate people on what we do in our daily lives, and it's okay if they don't understand."
Bottom line, Ledbetter says the Nebraska Athletics culture goes well beyond winning. "Every fan likes wins," he said. "For fans that have seen Laney's story and understand what all she's been through and ask how she's doing, it's a pretty big deal. They don't have to ask. I don't see Shawn Eichorst very often, but every time I do he asks how the family's doing and how Laney's doing, and that means something to me. He doesn't have to do that. Fans don't have to do that either. Even fans that we don't necessarily know ask us how Laney and our family are doing, and that means a lot to us. They don't have to do that, but I'm glad they do because I always get to tell them the same thing about Laney that little girl is an absolute fighter!"
NU: Huskers Excited to Show Their 'Love 4 Laney'
