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Small Wonder

March 28, 2014

Choo and Ryu send autographed baseballs to 7-yr. old leukemia patent

Kim Tae-hwan shows off his autographed balls received from Ryu Hyun-jin and Choo Shin-soo.

Kim Tae-hwan shows off his autographed balls received from Ryu Hyun-jin and Choo Shin-soo.

By Kim Hyung-jae

Texas Rangers outfielder Choo Shin-soo has fulfilled a kid’s dream.

Kim Tae-hwan, 7, is a leukemia patient who received a signed baseball from the player after being diagnosed last year.

He never misses a single Rangers game on TV, even through his cancer treatments.

Choo, who has three children of his own, sent the balls over to Korea with the message, “I hope this small gift gives Tae-hwan hope and courage.”

Jaseng Hospital of Korean Medicine Director Lee Woo-kyung alerted Choo about Kim’s story after meeting him as a patient at the hospital. She said recent test results are looking good for Kim, who has gained a lot of strength after the gift.

The hospital also acquired a signed ball from Los Angeles Dodgers’ Ryu Hyun-jin in support of Kim.