A Paso Robles man was diagnosed with inclusion body myositis, a progressive muscle disease with no known cure, more than a decade ago. He’s now raising awareness about the disease in a unique way.
Vance Robinson has thrown out first pitches at collegiate baseball games over the past few years, but with the pandemic limiting spectators, he’s taking to social media.
May is Inclusive Body Myositis Awareness Month, and Robinson plans to wear a hat and jersey from a different collegiate baseball team from around the country every day of the month and post a video to his social media accounts. So far, he has 10 colleges on board. Robinson says helping raise money for research keeps him busy.
“Five years ago, one of my friends said you should do something for the disease. With your personality, you should get the word out,” said Robinson. “It’s a rare disease. I wouldn’t wish this on anybody. One thing that it hasn’t taken away is my attitude. I’m a pretty upbeat, positive guy. It keeps me active. It keeps me talking with friends and new people along the way. It keeps me going. Hopefully, one day we find a cure.”
Robinson says when fans are allowed back to games, he’ll be out there throwing first pitches up and down the West Coast to raise money and awareness. If you’d like to donate, click here.
