Teen won’t let cystic fibrosis stop him from competing in Babe Ruth World Series
 

Doctors told her Dennis had cystic fibrosis.

Subsequent tests showed that her twin boys, Sean and Daniel, who were 3 at the time, also had the lung disease.

“I felt I was given a birth certificate and a death certificate at the same time,” Lisa Sullivan said.

Fourteen years later, Dennis will compete in the Babe Ruth Baseball 14-Year-Old World Series in Quincy this week.

“It means everything. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance,” Dennis said. “It’s a big deal just getting a chance to play.”

Dennis said he almost didn’t try out for Quincy’s team of 14-year-olds because he is smaller than many of his peers, a result of the cystic fibrosis.

Dennis made the team as an alternate and got a chance to play for his hometown in the playoffs. He had a big hit in the team’s last playoff game, starting a six-run rally that tied the game, Dennis said.

“It was just amazing. Just hearing everyone cheering when I got to first base,” he said.

About 30,000 Americans have cystic fibrosis, with 1,000 new cases diagnosed each year, according to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. There is no cure for CF, and many people with the disease do not survive past their 30s.

The three Sullivan boys have breathing treatments daily, take various medications including digestive aids, vitamins and enzymes, and have daily tube feeds. They also go to the hospital for two weeks twice a year for intensive lung-clearing procedures and heavy-duty antibiotics.

“It’s something that’s not going to go away, and I have to live with it, so I’m just living with it, and fighting it, too,” Dennis said.

Lisa Sullivan said that having three children with cystic fibrosis can be tough, but it also brings blessings, such as the extremely close relationships she’s formed with her sons.

“If they didn’t have CF, I wouldn’t know them as well, and they wouldn’t know me as well,” she said.

“If they or I died tomorrow, I wouldn’t be kneeling at the side of a coffin saying, ‘I wish I had said’ or ‘I wish I had done.’ I have something most people look for all their lives and never find.”

Baseball has played a major role in Dennis’ life since he was 5. He plays left field and second base on school, summer and travel leagues.

“It’s the thinking man’s game,” Dennis said.

“I like that every pitch (means) something. You have a whole team behind you, but you feel like it’s your responsibility to keep them together, too,” he said.

“He absolutely loves it, and his coach said if everyone on the team had half Dennis’ heart and ability, they’d never have to practice,” Lisa Sullivan said.

In July, Dennis met the players on the Red Sox through the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Daniel and Sean are going to be high school seniors this year and are doing well, Lisa Sullivan said.

The Babe Ruth Baseball 14-Year-Old World Series starts Saturday.