White Sox Honor Palos Heights Nurse For 42-Year Career

CHICAGO, IL — A Chicago-area nurse who has dedicated over 40 years of her life to caring for others will be recognized Sunday for her hard work in the world of breast cancer.

Patrice Stephens, a South Side native who now lives in Palos Heights, has been named the Chicago White Sox's honorary bat girl, a position dolled out each Mother's Day to a person with a strong connection to breast cancer.

Stephens — a 21-year breast cancer nurse navigator at Advocate Christ Medical Center — was nominated to be the Sox's honorary bat girl by her colleagues at Gilda's Club Chicago, a breast cancer support organization.

Now, on Sunday, she will take to the field to throw the ceremonial first pitch before the White Sox and the Cleveland Indians face off at 1:10 p.m.

Stephens, a lifelong White Sox fan, said she was a softball pitcher in high school but that she hasn't thrown a ball in many years.

"They did tell me with COVID I'm going to throw to southpaw," she told Patch. "It’s going to be over in the kids area, which is totally fine with me. I was a pitcher in high school softball, but I haven’t thrown in a long time."

For Stephens, it's about more than just attending a game or throwing a pitch: It's her first big outing since the coronavirus pandemic began, and it's keeping up a strong family tradition. She said her father raised her and her 11 siblings to be lifelong Sox fans.

In addition to being named an honorary bat girl, Stephens also received a care package from the team that included a hat, a pink Louisville Slugger bat engraved with her name and a baseball signed by former Sox third baseman Bill Melton, one of her favorite players.

Although Stephens won't be on the pitcher's mound, she will still be center stage, said Lindsey Jordan, a White Sox spokesperson.

"We plan to have the broadcaster talk about the program and Patrice, and to have her shown on screen during broadcast," Jordan said.

Stephens, who is so dedicated to caring for breast cancer patients that she erects a pink Christmas tree every winter, will attend the game with three of her brothers.

"The whole family is excited because I have a lot of siblings, and we’re all Sox fans," Stephens said. "It's such an honor to be chosen to be this honorary bat girl. I’ve always loved baseball, s0 this is sort of a great fit for me."