ATLANTA — A Forsyth County high school teacher will yell "play ball" to kick off the Braves vs. the Cincinnati Reds game Tuesday night to commemorate his journey to becoming cancer-free.
Ahead of the game, Dave DuVal, an AP Psychology teacher and volleyball coach at Forsyth Central High School, will join hundreds of cancer survivors as they walk the bases at Truist Park. The event is meant for the survivors to reflect on their journey to eating cancer, said DuVal.
DuVal was diagnosed with stage three gastroesophageal junction cancer, which is cancer that starts where the food pipe joins the stomach, in August 2020. He began treatment immediately and was declared cancer free one year and seven months later in March 2022.
"I went from being diagnosed to having a port and having feeding tubes stuck in my belly within a week and starting chemo within three weeks of being diagnosed," said DuVal.
Within weeks, DuVal returned to his job at Forsyth Central High School, where his students were waiting for him with open arms.
DuVal explained throughout his cancer treatment and the journey that he tried to stay positive and used his sense of humor to do so.
He hopes baseball fans at the game gain something watching the hundreds of cancer survivors walking the bases.
"People get to see people who've had struggles and how they succeeded through those struggles and how they're living their lives," he said. "Hopefully, they can inspire other people who are at the game who might be going through a hard time."
Local high school teacher walks the bases at Truist Park as cancer survivor
