May 11--Mother's Day comes more than once a year for Sandburg third baseman Nikki Abramovske.
Every day, every moment with her mom has become ever more precious after an insidious, rare disease called lymphomatoid granulomatosis has resulted in nodular lesions destroying the blood vessels in Terrie Abramovske's lungs.
It has torn apart a teenager's care-free world, and whether life is good or bad remains a day-to-day question.
"My mom is so strong and she is such a fighter--I don't think I could do what she is doing," Nikki said while holding her mother's hand throughout an emotional interview that included her three closest teammates. "I'm so proud of her.
"For Mother's Day, my older sister, Toni, and I are going to make her breakfast in bed. Then, after we spend the day with relatives, we're going to rent some movies for her, sit down and relax. She loves to watch movies."
Maybe so, but the cinema is a distant second to watching her youngest child hit .302 with 21 RBIs for No. 1 Sandburg.
"I never missed a game until all this happened," Terrie Abramovske, 52, said about the diagnosis in August 2005, at which time doctors gave her two years to live. Hospitalized for six months in 2006, mom missed her daughter's entire freshman season.
"The disease is so rare, nobody knows how to treat it," Terrie said. "I was on an experimental therapy recently and it made me so sick.
"This spring I felt a little funny coming out to games with my cane and oxygen tank. Then I thought: 'I don't care what anyone thinks. I'm coming out to watch my daughter.' "
Mom felt good enough to attend three games this week, and her daughter batted .444 in those games.
"Seeing you at games when we know how difficult it is to get there means so much to us," said center fielder Laura Christensen, a .342 hitter who leads the team with 24 runs and has a perpetual smile atop her 5-foot frame.
"It makes you feel like you can do anything," said left fielder Gina Gawron. "We think little troubles get in our way--we have no clue."
Nikki was getting ready for school two years ago when word came from the hospital that her mother might only survive for another hour. She immediately called her best friend, Sandburg outfielder Nicole Hurley.
"I could tell in her voice that something was wrong, and then she just broke down," Hurley said. "I tried to comfort her, but it was so sad.
"I know Mrs. Abramovske so well, and she is such a nice person. You think good things should happen to good people."
Nikki's good friends have shown her care and understanding.
"I know when to say something and when not to," Gawron said. "There are times when you need to be by yourself. At that moment, talking could make you feel worse.
"No matter what, Nikki knows we'll always be here for her."
What helps get Terrie Abramovske through the most painful moments is the memory of Nikki's game-winning triple that secured a summer tournament title in Moline back in July 2005.
Nikki Abramovske remembers mom taking her to a favorite pizza place every day after preschool and walking through a nearby toy store.
"Nikki is one of the strongest people I've ever met in my entire life," Christensen said before looking over at her teammate. "I can't imagine what you go through every day.
"Looking at your mom, it shows where you get your strength from."
Nikki was asked about the significance of this Mother's Day.
"Every day, she is special," Nikki said. "She's been so sick and in the hospital until this week, it is nice to have her home.
"I'm going to enjoy every moment I have with her."
bsakamoto@tribune.com
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