NL

Jose Bautista sends birthday greeting to Nevaeh Denine, N.L. girl battling cancer

While at a celebrity golf tournament this weekend, a Mount Pearl, Newfoundland man managed to get one of the biggest names in baseball to send a positive message to a young girl back home who is fighting cancer.
Jon Butt of Mount Pearl and Jose Bautista hanging out on the golf course. Butt got Bautista to send a happy birthday message back to Newfoundland for Nevaeh Denine, a young girl battling cancer. (Facebook)

While at a celebrity golf tournament this weekend, a Mount Pearl, Newfoundland man managed to get one of the biggest names in baseball to send a positive message to a young girl back home who is battling cancer.

Jon Butt was lucky enough to spend a day rubbing shoulders with Toronto Blue Jays players and other sports stars on the fairway and putting greens on Thursday. Instead of just bragging about it, he used the opportunity to send some positive vibes to someone special back home.

While sitting with Blue Jays star Jose Bautista, Butt asked the slugger if he could say a few words to Nevaeh Denine for her birthday, which Bautista was happy to do for the camera.

Nevaeh Denine, 7, who is fighting Neuroblastoma, inspired her home province when she launched a lemonade stand fundraiser to help support other children with cancer. (CBC)

Denine, 7, was diagnosed with cancer at the age of three and was in remission, but found out in February that her neuroblastoma had returned.

The little girl from Goulds became a recognized name in her home province when she started a lemonade stand for children with cancer — raising tens of thousands of dollars for the cause.

Earlier this week, Nevaeh held one of her lemonade stand events at the Goulds Racetrack, and raised over $54,000 in just five hours.

Nevaeh Denine at her lemonade stand fundraiser on Sunday, July 24. The event raised more than $54,000 to support children who have cancer. (Facebook/Happiness for Nevaeh)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Geoff Bartlett

Contributor

Geoff Bartlett is an educator and journalist in Corner Brook.