Mets gave a breast cancer survivor hope, helping her battle the disease

If you watched Saturday night’s Mets win, you met Angela Messina in the third inning

Angela was interviewed by SNY’s Steve Gelbs. And if you listened to her story, it truly is amazing. For those of you who didn’t hear it, no worries, I got to know Angela and can attest to how remarkable she, and her story, are. Look here’s the two of us before the game:

Now how do the Mets fit into all of this? Well, let’s start at the beginning.

Angela was first diagnosed with breast cancer back in October of 2014. She got the devastating phone call while meeting her daughter during the workday — something that they do not do often (what a coincidence, right?). “She was trying to be so strong for me,” Angela remembers, in regards to her daughter. “I was scared at first but I pretty much went into autopilot and did everything the doctors said.”

Angela’s first surgery, a full hysterectomy, was in March of 2015. During the course of this testing, they found out that Angela also suffered from what is called Cowden Syndrome, which is a P-Ten gene mutation that puts her at risk for several types of cancer.

She proceeded to undergo several other surgeries over the course of the next few months.

Luckily, Angela has been in remission for two years now. But unfortunately, due to the Cowden Syndrome, she is “not out of the woods” just yet, in her own words.

Now, you’re probably still asking, how do the Mets fit into all of this? Well, think of the timeline. All of her surgeries were during the 2015 season. And what were the Mets doing then? Winning. Making a playoff push. Going to the World Series.

And in Angela’s eyes, they were doing this for her. To show her that you can overcome obstacles and come out on top. To show her that ya gotta believe, and you always need to have hope, even when everything looks glum.

“The Mets were my lifeline to being happy through this all,” Angela elaborates. “They gave me something to smile and be happy about each day. When I had bad days I would watch the Mets play and get so happy and forget about what I was going through for a while. My sister would call me up and say ‘They won that one for you,’ and I believed it. They went all the way to the World Series that year and even though they didn’t win I can’t even begin to tell you have happy I was and how much joy they brought into my life.”

Without even knowing it, the New York Mets helped Angela battle, and ultimately defeat, breast cancer.

Well, the Mets do know this now, holding a breast cancer awareness night last Saturday, and inviting Angela and other breast cancer survivors on the field before the game.  “[It] was surreal to me,” Angela stated. “Standing in the same spot where all my favorite players stepped. It was a crazy experience, and to have all my friends and family who were by my side during my battle with me was just amazing. Just like the amazing Mets.”

Angela was extremely touched by the invitation to be on the field, as well as grateful to be able to help advocate for breast cancer awareness. “I am truly an advocate to help other people to get tested so they are detected early; early detections is so important for survival,” she exclaims. Basically, all females reading this, go get tested. Please.

Naturally, Angela had to end our conversation by getting in one last appreciative statement about the Mets (in case you can’t tell, she was beyond thrilled for this opportunity!):

“The Mets impact on me without them even knowing who I am.  I feel like the team is my friend even though I have never met them. But they are my team for life. Win or lose I love them no matter what because they were with me in the darkest time of my life and I will be with them for the ups and downs of their seasons.”

Thank you Mets, for bringing awareness to a horrific disease, and for giving a diehard fan the opportunity of a lifetime. It’s one she truly will never forget.

Next: Mets gave my brother an experience of a lifetime

In October, Angela will be participating in the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk. If you’d like to learn more or to support her team, please click here.