Stephen Piscotty's mother, Gretchen, dies after one-year ALS battle
Stephen Piscotty's mother, Gretchen, dies after one-year ALS battle
Gretchen Piscotty, 55, the mother of Oakland Athletics outfielder Stephen Piscotty, died Sunday night. She was 55.
Piscotty was diagnosed with ALS in May 2017, prompting the St. Louis Cardinals to trade Stephen Piscotty to the A's in the offseason. Stephen Piscotty requested the trade after a down season so that he could be near his mother.
"It's important to spend time with her because we're running out of it and we're just trying to cherish every moment," Stephen Piscotty, 27, said in the San Francisco Chronicle.
The Cardinals traded Piscotty less than a year into a six-year, $33.5 million deal. He missed several games last season to be with his mother.
ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is also known as Lou Gehrig's disease after the former Yankees' great.
The degenerative disease attacks nerves and muscles. Commonly the ability to speak, walk and perform everyday tasks disappear quickly. The average lifespan after being diagnosed with ALS is three years.
--Field Level Media
