Luke Champion to Celebrate “Home Run for Life” with OKC Baseball Club
Tuttle resident shares journey of stroke recovery; Will be recognized before an upcoming OKC Baseball Club game at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark
Luke Champion had just won a wrestling match at an Oklahoma State University wrestling camp, but before he knew it, he was waking up in the hospital.
In recognition of May being Stroke Awareness Month, Champion will be honored during an upcoming INTEGRIS Health “Home Run for Life” ceremony at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark during the 2024 OKC Baseball Club season.
“Home Run For Life” recognizes individuals in the community who have overcome a significant medical event with the help of their families, physicians and health care professionals. To symbolize the end of their battle against adversity, honorees take a home run “lap” around the bases during a pregame ceremony.
Champion, who was just 14 years old at the time, went down on the mat after his match during the summer of 2023 and his mother, Valorie, had an athletic trainer on site call 911 immediately.
“It looked like he was looking at me, but almost through me,” she said.
He had suffered a stroke, feeling a splitting headache and weakness on the left side of his body.
“I didn’t really know what was going on,” he said.
Stroke is a leading cause of death in the United States and a leading cause of disability around the world.
Champion now goes to the INTEGRIS Health Jim Thorpe Rehabilitation outpatient clinic in Yukon.
He goes twice a week, doing 45 minutes of occupational therapy and 45 minutes of physical therapy.
Despite the rehab, Champion still lives life like any other 15-year-old.
He even plays Xbox to help with his hand-eye coordination.
“I still do the same stuff,” he said.
He is now just under a year removed from his stroke in Stillwater.
Several OSU wrestlers and former coach John Smith came to visit him during a rehab session in recent months to see the incredible progress he’s made.
While he can no longer compete in contact sports, Champion plays right field for the Tuttle Middle School baseball team and won the Southwest Conference this season.
Champion has his whole life ahead of him and does not plan on living any differently than before thanks to the ongoing care he has received at INTEGRIS Health Jim Thorpe Rehabilitation.
