Don Mattingly reunites with former Make-A-Wish kid after 30 years

Miami Marlins manager Don Mattingly enjoyed a special reunion before Friday’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Jay Handy, a now 40-year-old father of two, originally met the then New York Yankees first baseman during the 1988 season while at Fenway Park. The meeting had been set up by the Make-A-Wish Foundation after a then nine-year-old Handy had been diagnosed with Burkitt’s lymphoma.

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At the time, doctors gave Handy a 50-50 chance to live. Fortunately, he’s completely healthy now and raising a family of his own. On Friday, his family, including a daughter named “Mattingly,” in honor of the Yankees legend, were able to visit Don Mattingly in the visiting dugout at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.

“It means the world,” Handy told the Miami Herald’s Clark Spencer. “To be able to come back and do it 30 years later, as a 40-year-old, it means that much more. I think it’s still registering.”

The first meeting

During Friday’s Fox Sports Florida broadcast, Jessica Blaylock interviewed Handy and his family. During the interview we saw clips of grainy family home videos that showed the original meeting.

He even got to take home one of those Don Mattingly posters that every Yankees fan wanted at the time.

There’s a pretty interesting sidebar to that meeting. As much as Handy wanted to meet Mattingly, and as cool as their first meeting was, he revealed that his actual first choice was Vanna White of “Wheel of Fortune” fame. When that meeting couldn’t be arranged, he was able to travel to Fenway Park.

Incredible reunion

Credit Handy’s friends for making the reunion a possibility.

When they saw the schedule and realized the Marlins were coming to Philadelphia near the 30-year anniversary of Handy’s first meeting with Mattingly, they contacted team officials to see if a reunion was possible. Once the Marlins agreed, the next goal was to keep the reunion a secret so that Handy would be surprised.

We’d say the plan worked.

Both meetings were obviously very special to Handy. But he was quick to credit to Make-A-Wish for the incredible work they do to lift the spirits of sick children.

“When you see days like today,” Handy said, “you realize you’re super lucky.”

You can read more on Handy’s incredible story in Clark Spencer’s Miami Herald piece and on MLB.com. We highly recommend both.

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