Arizona Lutheran playing baseball game at Tempe Diablo to benefit track coach's ailing wife
Phoenix Arizona Lutheran can move up in the Arizona Interscholastic Association's 2A baseball rankings with a win Monday night against Goodyear Trivium Prep on Senior Night as it clinches its first state playoff appearance in 11 years.
More importantly, the Coyotes want to show love to Molly Heyn, the wife of head boys and girls track and field coach Matt Heyn.
Molly was diagnosed in December with breast cancer.
The game at Tempe Diablo Stadium, starting at 6 p.m., the school's final regular-season game, and a chance for the team's two seniors to be in the spotlight, is free of charge. But donations will be taken to help offset the medical costs of treatement for Molly, 51.
Last week, ALA's National Honor Society organized a penny war. ALA Athletic Director and football coach David Peter said it is a way for "students to have fun raising money for a wonderful couple with a beautiful family."
"I have always been amazed at Molly's positive attitude and infectious laugh," Peter said. "Now it is just more evident during her current battle with cancer. She and Matt have shown so many of us how to handle challenging times and adversity with a fighting spirit and amazing grace. The blessing of our unique community is the many different connections and relationships that we have. Some ALA students and families are connected to Molly through her being the kindergarten teacher at Emmanuel Lutheran in Tempe, as Molly has taught the younger siblings of some of our current students."
At ALA's recent gala auction, a family won a barbecue event and anonymously donated it to Matt and Molly, Peter said.
"Whether in big or small ways, our families simply want Matt and Molly to realize how much they are loved and appreciated, and that we all want to help in any manner possible," Peter said. "Through all of this, we pray that the Heyn families' faith in Jesus is strengthened, trusting that God is guiding and directing all things for their good."
Matt said his wife should have enough strength to throw out the first pitch.
"More importantly, just their daily support, checking in on how we're doing, prayers for us, it's been awesome," said Matt Heyn, a fulltime math teacher, who is in his sixth season as head track coach and has a chance for both the boys and girls teams to win Division V championships next month with the largest teams he's had since he's been there.
Matt and Molly recently celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary. They have four adult children.
After the diagnosis, Molly decided to take off the spring semester from teaching at Emmanuel Lutheran, as she began undergoing treatment. Matt said the cancer was between stages 2 and 3. She will undergo three more months of chemotherapy before having surgery, Matt said.
"If I can't be at practice to help my wife, other coaches have been there to take over," Heyn said. "The kids have been very supportive.
"Obviously, from the start, there were a lot of doubts, concerns, uncertainties. But now that we've been getting the treatment at Mayo (Clinic), everything seems to be moving in the right direction. And the support from our ALA family has been incredible, which has made this much easier to tolerate."
Heyn said working with the track teams this spring "have helped me get through this."
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Lutheran rallies around track coach's wife's cancer fight
