A 4-year-old girl battling health issues will get to run the bases at Modern Woodmen Stadium, Davenport, during a Quad Cities River Bandits game tonight, July 14.
Maggie Luckenbach, 4, of Bettendorf, is set to run those bases at the end of the second inning. The game starts at 6:30 p.m., and Maggie will be honored during an on-the-field ceremony by
the players from both baseball teams. In addition, a video about Maggie will play on the video board during the ceremony.
Genesis and the Quad Cities River Bandits have been partnering since 2016 to recognize the success stories of Genesis physical therapy and rehabilitation patients in a program called Home Runs for Life.
Maggie was born prematurely at about 36 or 37 weeks, weighing only about four pounds. When she turned a year old, her parents, Jenifer and Luc Luckenbach, of Bettendorf, realized she wasn’t meeting her developmental milestones.
Genesis physical therapist Katie Powers met Maggie as an infant after she came home from the hospital. They were paired as part of a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) program that works with high-risk infants with developmental concerns.
“I’ve been helping her learn to roll over, crawl, and walk. Now she’s running, jumping, and climbing on everything. She’s come a long way,” Ms. Powers said in a news release.
In Maggie’s four years, she’s seen 40 specialists, had about 400 medical appointments, and endured multiple hospitalizations and surgeries.
“To see just how far she’s progressed at her age and what she’s accomplished given her medical history is truly remarkable. It’s a testament to how hard Maggie is willing to work and how hard her family works on things with her,” she added
