A month into this season, Jonathan Sprinkle answered a phone call and heard life-altering news on the other end. His sister, Amanda, had been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, a cancer of the blood and bone marrow.
Sitting in the parking lot of Whataburger Field in Corpus Christi, Texas, Sprinkle wanted to rush home. It took all the persuasive powers of both Amanda and his mother, Laura, to convince him to stay with the Hooks and focus on baseball until a treatment plan for Amanda was in place.
“I can empathize with Jonathan about getting that phone call … and just feeling extremely guilty that you’re not there with your family during those hard times,” Amanda said.
Nine years before, Amanda had received a similar phone call at college when their brother Jacob was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at age 11.
“I can actually relate to Jonathan pretty much phone call to phone call,” said Amanda, who is two years older than Jonathan.
Fear initially engulfed Jonathan. Cancer affected his family once before, and he wanted to be with his sister. Relating on a similar experience, Amanda told Jonathan to focus on baseball until a treatment plan was in place.
As Amanda underwent two rounds of chemotherapy, she learned she needed a bone marrow donor. There were 24 perfect matches. Twenty-two of those matches declined to donate.
It bothered Jonathan that “when push came to shove, 22 people backed out.” But it turned out Jonathan was a possible donor, so he went through testing immediately. The early process included blood drawings that were shipped to Amanda’s hospital in Kansas City.
“It’s whatever she needs and whatever I can do to help her. That’s what matters most,” Jonathan said. “So there was no fear. There was no second guessing.”
It was emotionally overwhelming for Amanda that her brother put his career on hold to assist her in her battle with cancer. From sharing a wall growing up to remaining close into adulthood, the two were always there for one another.
The transplant begins Monday, the universal off day in Minor League Baseball. Doctors told Jonathan his “1-in-10-million gene” will make it easier for Amanda’s body to accept his bone marrow.
“Her courage and her strength are unmatched,” Jonathan said. “She has been an inspiration, and she’s been everything to me.”
If all goes well after the transplant, Amanda will be in remission. And her cells will be 95% genetically Jonathan’s, tying a sibling bond even tighter.
“I love baseball, I really do. But if I need to miss a week or two to allow my sister to keep living on this earth, it’s not even a question,” Sprinkle said. “I love this game, and as much as I love playing it, it’s second to her and second to my family.”
After a 30-day stay in the hospital, Amanda will need to limit her contact with the outside world for another 100 days. Her parents and extended family will monitor her 24 hours a day.
Recently, Sprinkle began to worry that the same deformed gene that caused cancer in his sibling might creep into his own. But after weeks of tests, he received the good news that he does not carry the gene.
Careerwise, however, things haven’t been as positive lately.
“I had two of the worst outings in my entire career back to back (in June), and I was in a really bad mental state,” Sprinkle said. “And it was just really tough for about a month, month and a half.”
Following a mid-June series in Arkansas, Jonathan took a trip home. He saw Amanda, and she helped him reset.
“What I needed him to do to help me was just to continue to focus on his life and his future and continue to pursue his dreams and let me live vicariously through him, because all mine got put on hold right now,” Amanda said.
Amanda drew Jonathan’s focus back to baseball, making sure her brother wasn’t dwelling in a situation currently out of his control. Jonathan also turned to his family and to Astros mental health and performance coordinator Laura Ramos to put his mind back on track.
Sprinkle went through the wringer earlier in the season. He now feels like a better person and a better ball player, one he compared to his 2021 self. That season, Sprinkle pitched at three levels, reaching Double-A for the first time.
Sprinkle underwent thoracic outlet syndrome surgery this offseason. He rushed through his rehab process this spring to start the Double-A season on time.
Entering the second half, Sprinkle appreciates the support the Astros are giving him. In the process of steroid shots and giving blood, he couldn’t thank the organization and his teammates enough.
“I can’t name all of them. It’s everybody,” Sprinkle said. “It was all a team effort. And it was all a team just being able to rally and give me the support that I needed and the backbone that I needed.”
This upcoming winter will look different for Sprinkle. There are no surgeries or rehabs on the docket. He has a full offseason to progress in his playing career, but he also has an opportunity to spend more time with Amanda.
From watching a movie to playing a board game, Jonathan wants to be Amanda’s rock as she eases back into her normal life. There isn’t a set timetable for when life can return to normal for Amanda, though, but her battle with cancer changed her outlook on her job as a nurse.
“I truly can put myself in their shoes and empathize with my patients and their families and being able to be a better supportive nurse, a better guide, a better person for them in their time of need,” Amanda said.
Amanda’s battle altered life’s perspective for Jonathan. He got back into his faith. He found himself again, building confidence in his ability to pitch at a high level and become the best version of himself.
“It’s something that I feel like I had to go through to become a better person and a better ballplayer and a better brother and better just individual overall,” Jonathan said. “There’s always darkness before the light. That’s something that I’ve always believed in.”
To learn more on how you can make an impact for those in need of a blood stem cell transplant, you can visit bethematch.org. You can also text “4AmandaKC” to 61474 to join the registry in Amanda’s honor.
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