From grief to gratitude: Remembering my dad at Fenway with MS4MS
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252 days.
June 14, 2025, marked 252 long days since my father, Victor, passed away. What can I say? He was a wonderful, smart, funny, and kind man, and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that he was a good dancer. 😉
My dad taught me a lot, and of course, I was a daddy’s girl. I loved him so much. He and I often talked about “going east,” as he loved baseball, competition, and a good clam chowder.
I have countless images of Dan and me with my dad, Victor, attending Great Lakes Loons minor league games at Dow Diamond. But the one pic with Vic I forever will wish I had was one with him watching the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.
Visiting Boston’s Fenway Park to catch a game with my beloved Red Sox was the perfect way for us to check off all these boxes. But good health and limited time got the best of us, and my dad and I never made that trip together.
After he died last October, I told Dan that I wanted to take that trip this year to remember my dad and celebrate his life and all that he meant to me as his daughter.
And so it happened in a way that my dad never could have imagined, thanks to our friend Sam Greenberg and his organization MS4MS.
To learn more about what led us to take this Boston trip to remember Jennifer’s dad, click the image to listen to our A Couple Takes on MS Podcast Episode “Back to moving forward.”
Knowing that MS4MS has hosted one of its #spreadingorange events at Fenway Park for the past couple of years, I reached out to Sam to see if the organization was hosting another one this season. It was, and MS4MS couldn’t have picked a more epic game: the Boston Red Sox vs. the New York Yankees.
Talk about competition.
It was the perfect match-up. The perfect MS organization.
And here are just a few of the many photos that tell the story of how and why it was the perfect way to remember, honor, and celebrate my dad.
The Green Monster meets #spreadingorange
Knowing we’d do A LOT of walking in Boston, we rented a scooter to help conserve Dan’s energy. We put in nearly four miles while going out to dinner the night before the big game, and we appreciate that my caregiver Jen, who traveled with us, snapped this pic of us near the iconic Citgo sign.We are forever grateful for Sam Greenberg, left, and his tireless efforts for the MS community through MS4MS. Oh yeah, and for inviting us to join others spreading orange for the organization (including his Aunt Aimee and his mom, Wendy) on the field at Fenway Park while the Red Sox and Yankees took pre-game batting practice. I love that Dan got behind home plate to snap this wide-angle view of Fenway Park. You get a feel for just how huge the legendary Green Monster truly is.And after Dan captured The Green Monster image, caregiver Jen grabbed a quick selfie of us underneath the Fenway Park Press Box. In one of the “Are you kidding me?” moments of our legendary trip, I sat speechless as Red Sox right fielder Rob Refsnyder stopped over to chat with the MS4MS group and gave me a signed pair of his batting gloves.As if it wasn’t enough that the game was televised as the featured game on Fox Major League Baseball, legendary field reporter Ken Rosenthal wore an orange bowtie as part of his “Bowtie for a Cause” initiative and brought nationwide attention to MS4MS. He even stopped by to say hello to our group (another “Are you kidding me?” moment). Thanks to @jaidentripi for taking this pic.I was honored to use my power wheelchair to serve as an MS4MS pack mule of sorts and hang onto the bags of orange swag during batting practice.Yes, another “Are you kidding me?” moment. While I was getting interviewed for an MS4MS video, Dan was in the right place at the right time to take several pictures of Yankees legend and two-time American League MVP Aaron Judge signing autographs after taking batting practice. After all the memorable pre-game events, we eventually made it up to our wheelchair-accessible seats and watched the Red Sox beat the Yankees 4-3 in the second game of a three-game sweep. #GoSoxOne of the final “Are you kidding me?” moments came when we met Jodi Dwyer for the first time in person. Jodi, at left, is one of our longtime connections and inspirations in the MS blogging and fundraising communities. So fun to meet and spend time with two of her friends and our new MS community connections Katy and Liz.It was such a rush to walk through the streets next to Fenway Park following a Red Sox win!The night at Fenway gave us the baseball and competition that my dad craved. But just as important was a bowl of good clam chowder. So, yes, for each restaurant meal I ate in Boston, I enjoyed a bowl just for my dad. After all I was, and always will be, a daddy’s girl.
