Yelling “Play Ball” for Organ Donation Awareness

Christian Gomez celebrated his 18th birthday in a very special way. He was honored at the San Francisco Giants game against the San Diego Padres as the Play Ball Kid.

The Giants, in collaboration with Donor Network West, hosted the 26th annual “Donate Life Day,” which is the longest running organ donor awareness event in professional sports. Stanford Medicine Children’s Health transplant patients, along with their families and care teams, were invited to Oracle Park to enjoy the game.

For Christian, this event was especially meaningful since it was his first time back at Oracle Park since 2019.

Christian was born with biliary atresia, a rare liver disease that affects tubes in the liver called bile ducts. Without functioning bile ducts, bile—a fluid that helps with digestion—can’t drain from the liver. Instead, it builds up, becomes toxic to the liver, and causes damage. Biliary atresia is the most common cause of liver transplants in children in the United States.

Christian at 9 months after his liver transplant

“At 9 months old, he was listed for a liver transplant,” his mother, Maria, explained. “Then, they told me about the option of becoming a living liver donor. We didn’t even know that was an option at the time. But I thought to myself, if it gives my kid that chance, I want to be a donor if I’m able to.”

After a lengthy workup, Stanford Children’s doctors determined Maria was a match for her son. Just before he turned 1, she donated a piece of her liver. That liver helped Christian enjoy his childhood, but the medications he took eventually scarred down his liver. It became clear that he needed another transplant at 17 years old.

In May 2025, Maria got the call that there was a donor match. Christian received a new liver and another chance to pursue his dreams. He hopes to start his own real estate business.

“He’s very grateful, very happy, and has been hanging out with his friends,” Maria said. “He even told me, ‘I feel good mom. I can go back to work.’ He’s working part-time over the summer. It’s just great to see that his mentality has changed from not being able to do what he loves and now getting back to it.”

At the game, Christian was both nervous and excited about the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to kick off a Giants game. He and his family arrived early at Oracle Park, watching the players warm up. Christian even got his baseball autographed by Giants third base coach Matt Williams. When it was time to start the game, he energized the crowd by yelling “play ball” into the microphone.

Christian and his family on the field

Christian getting his baseball signed by Giants third base coach Matt Williams

“It was absolutely amazing,” Christian said in awe. “It honestly felt really good to be a part of this.”