By Bryan Eneas

Muskeg Cree Nation girl to throw pitch for Blue Jays

Aug 9, 2016 | 2:31 PM

Tonight at the Rogers Center, an 11-year-old girl from Muskeg Cree Nation will throw the ceremonial first pitch before the Toronto Blue Jays take the field against the Tampa Bay Rays.

“I’m very excited, all of my cousins are excited!” Bella Arcand-Lafond said.

Arcand-Lafond was forced to give up T-ball, one of her passions, in order to receive a major operation. She suffers from a rare brain disease, which at one point caused her to have as many as 60 seizures a day.

Family members from as far away as Victoria will be at the Rogers center tonight, according to Bella’s mother Bev Lafond.

“We’re lucky, we had about 25 family members make the trek down here just to watch,” Lafond said.

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“It’s an exciting opportunity for us. Bella is quite excited, and she’s been practicing. I think she’s ready for tonight’s first pitch,” Lafond said.

Lafond submitted her daughter’s name to a joint venture between Dairy Queen, and the Children’s Miracle Network in May. Arcand-Lafond was selected to represent Saskatchewan in a final round of selections. In July, she was chosen amongst all of the candidates to throw out the first pitch.

The girl’s family is staying in the Renaissance Hotel and have been checking out some of the sights in Toronto. Lafond said the heatwave southern Ontario is experiencing hasn’t affected the family too much.

Arcand-Lafond’s ceremonial pitch is set to be televised around 4:45 p.m. here in Saskatchewan.

Bryan.Eneas@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @BryanEneas