A miniature golf course. A basketball court. The framing of a snack stand and bathrooms and a pavilion for gatherings. And, of course, the baseball field. A dream realized in a rubberized surface with base paths and a batter's box and pitcher's mound, where his son, Gavin, will be able to play baseball with his siblings and friends. There is still work to be done.
On this day, paths between the curbing around each element of the complex remain dirt. Supply chain delays have slowed some elements of the work, just as they have hundreds of construction projects in Ocean County. Bathroom fixtures need to be installed, landscaping needs to be completed. The work that remains does nothing to curb the enthusiasm of Kane and his wife, Mary.
They have faced obstacle after obstacle in the creation of this complex that aims to bring those with special needs into the action, instead of watching from the sidelines. It is beyond anything they imagined when they first set out to create a baseball field and complex that included all children. Kane remembers the day Gavin's life, and those of the entire family, changed forever: July 12, Kane was on Bey Lea Road, and Gavin, then 19 months old, was strapped in a car seat in the back seat of the family's minivan.
Kane waiting to make the left turn into the rear entrance to Toms River High School North, where he is a math teacher. As he waited to make the turn, a fully loaded beer truck slammed into the back of the minivan. Gavin suffered a traumatic brain injury. He was the only one seriously injured in the crash. Among the effects are a deep pain that shows itself in the dark shadows under Kane's eyes, and reveals itself in the stories he tells as he gives a tour of the complex.
Each element has a story, a story that speaks to the knowledge — good and bad — gained from raising a child who has special needs. The baseball field, of course, is the centerpiece of those stories. It started with the Kanes seeing their older son playing baseball, and realizing it was an experience that was, at the time, completely out of reach for Gavin, because grass fields aren't equipped for wheelchairs.
The Kevin Costner baseball movie of the same name, released in — "one day after my birthday," Kane said — is a metaphor for Kane's own experience. In the movie, Ray Kinsella is trying to ease a pain that he cannot pinpoint, and the baseball field he builds in a field in Iowa helps Kinsella define and ease the heartache. For Kane, the heartache of wanting so much more for Gavin is clear.
As dreams and sketches turn to basepaths and swings and mini golf, the heartache is beginning to ebb. There is more to do, but soon we will have a field that makes dreams come true. From the start, the goal has been to create a place where families could spend time together. Not just a few minutes. Not just an hour. All day, if that's what they choose. The rules of replying: Be respectful. This is a space for friendly local discussions.
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