Aurora Health Care and Milwaukee Brewers surprise three young patients and their families

LUXEMBURG – Pediatric patients Lucas Connor, Andersen Kerls and Reece Walters were surprised with a trip of a lifetime on Jan. 20, traveling as VIPs to Brewers Spring Training in Phoenix from Feb. 19-22. As part of the trip, the patients and their families will meet Brewers players, participate in warmups, tour the clubhouse and throw out the first pitch when they’re honored during a Brewers Spring Training game on Feb. 21. Aurora Health Care, the official health care partner of the Milwaukee Brewers, and the team, are sponsoring the group’s all-expenses-paid trip.

Lucas Connor, an 11-year-old from Luxemburg, began feeling ill about two years ago. After not feeling like himself and ultimately losing the ability to walk, doctors discovered a softball size mass in Lucas’s chest caused by lymphoblastic lymphoma. He spent 35 days in the hospital because the tumor grew so quickly that it damaged other organs, including his kidneys. Since his diagnosis, Lucas has undergone many chemotherapy treatments, including oral, spinal, leg and belly treatments. He is currently cancer free while he continues to receive monthly chemotherapy infusions and is nearing the end of his oral chemo treatment. Lucas enjoys playing Little League baseball and football.

Reece Walters, a 15-year-old from Marinette, experienced an Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM) that hemorrhaged in his brain in October 2025. In early February, Reece will undergo a Gamma Knife procedure to treat remaining impacts from the AVM. Reece is a high school freshman who loves sports and enjoys playing baseball, football and basketball.

Andersen Kerls, a 13-year-old from Ixonia, was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at age 12 after experiencing stomach pain, weight loss and hardly being able to eat. To care for this autoimmune disease, he receives bi-weekly injections and manages his diet in the hopes of preventing flare ups. As a big Brewers fan, baseball is Andersen’s favorite sport to play, and he is a catcher on his travel baseball team.