Banana Ball teams brought one cancer patient something special

Sports rivalries can get ugly.

But two teams just proved that some things matter more than winning games.

And Banana Ball teams brought one cancer patient something truly special

Firefighters and Party Animals unite for something bigger than baseball

"Banana Ball" – the Harlem Globetrotters-inspired version of baseball – usually delivers pure entertainment, competition, and spectacle.

Last Friday at Harbor Park in Norfolk, Virginia was different.

The real show happened before the first pitch was thrown.

The Firefighters and Party Animals, two rival teams in the Savannah Bananas’ entertainment empire, traded their bats and gloves for hammers and drills.

Box scores and crowd-pleasing tricks would have to wait.

The players were building hope for a little boy named Fisher Blankenship.

Fisher is almost one year old and has been battling B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia since his February diagnosis.¹

The teams partnered with the Chesapeake-based ROC Solid Foundation, an organization dedicated to bringing play back to children fighting cancer.

"A lot of times when kids are diagnosed with cancer, their immune system doesn’t let them go out and play on public playsets," said Riley Taylor with ROC Solid. "So, the first thing cancer takes away is play. Our mission is to bring play back to the children right on their very own backyard."²

ROC Solid fills a gap most people never consider

ROC Solid’s work tackles a problem most healthy families never think about.

Children like Fisher can’t use public playgrounds during cancer treatment.

Their compromised immune systems make everyday activities dangerous.

Hospital visits and medical procedures replace normal childhood experiences.

ROC Solid playsets give families a safe, germ-free environment where kids can act like kids again.

Fisher was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common type of childhood cancer.³

This form of leukemia has high cure rates – exceeding 90% in many contemporary trials – but the treatment journey remains intense and toxic for young patients.⁴

Fisher is currently receiving treatment at Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters (CHKD) in Norfolk.⁵

The diagnosis flipped the Blankenship family’s world upside down.

Organizations like ROC Solid exist to remind families they’re not fighting alone.

Athletes with their priorities straight

Banana Ball players regularly do community service.

Bret Helton, a pitcher for the Party Animals, has been building playsets with ROC Solid for three years.

"This is perfect, we get to play ball, I get to be around my friends, and we can do something cool like this," Helton said.⁶

This particular project felt different.

The players worked to construct Fisher’s playset right outside Harbor Park, hours before thousands of fans would pack the stadium for sold-out games.

Every board, every bolt, every detail was installed with care – the players knew this structure would provide countless hours of joy for Fisher and his older brother Noah.

The players signed the playset with supportive messages and team logos when the build was complete.

That personal touch transformed a piece of playground equipment into something much more meaningful.

Father’s emotions on full display

The Blankenship family arrived at Harbor Park in a limousine for the big reveal – a special touch that made Fisher’s day even more memorable.

Jacob Blankenship, Fisher’s father, struggled to contain his emotions as he watched the teams’ gesture unfold.

"It’s just a fantastic thing for the kids," Jacob said. "It just gives them and it gives us just a glimmer of, a glimmer of hope during this situation, so just very thankful."⁷

Hope carries extra weight when you’re facing pediatric cancer.

The diagnosis doesn’t just impact the child.

It reshapes entire families, forcing parents to navigate medical complexity while trying to maintain some version of normalcy.

Jacob’s message to other families in similar situations reveals the broader impact of ROC Solid’s mission: "To other families, just know you’re not alone. It’s an incredibly long journey, but what I can say is rely on Roc Solid and other cancer foundations. They make things so much easier during this process."⁸

Tragedy turned into a mission

ROC Solid Foundation’s story began with personal tragedy.

Eric Newman founded the organization in 2009 after surviving pediatric cancer himself and losing two cousins to the disease.⁹

The foundation now operates two main programs that address different stages of the cancer journey.

Ready Bags are distributed to families at diagnosis through partnerships with over 150 children’s hospitals nationwide.

The bags contain essential items for unexpected hospital stays – toiletries, blankets, journals, tablets, and more.

Ready Bags send a crucial message: you’re not alone.

The playset program serves families during treatment, providing safe outdoor play spaces when public playgrounds become too risky.

ROC Solid has built thousands of playsets and playhouses across the United States, with each structure representing hope for a family fighting the unthinkable.¹⁰

Entertainment with substance

The Banana Ball World Tour has exploded in popularity, bringing circus-like entertainment to baseball stadiums across America.

Teams perform choreographed dances, interact constantly with fans, and play by modified rules designed to maximize fun.

The Norfolk series was completely sold out, with more than 12,000 fans packing Harbor Park each night.

Friday morning’s playset build showed these entertainers understand their platform extends well beyond ticket sales and social media highlights.

The Firefighters and Party Animals proved that rivalry stops when real life intrudes.

Cancer doesn’t care about standings or statistics.

Sometimes the most important competition is the one against time – giving families like the Blankenships as many normal moments as possible.

Fisher’s playset will soon be installed in the family’s backyard, creating a safe haven where medical realities can temporarily fade into background noise.

A little boy can climb, slide, and play like any other toddler.

Hope takes physical form in the shape of swings and jungle gyms.

The Banana Ball teams delivered entertainment to Norfolk that weekend.

Their most important performance happened with hammers in hand, building something that matters more than any final score.

¹ Riley Taylor, "Banana Ball teams partner with Roc Solid to build playset for Chesapeake boy battling cancer," WAVY-TV, July 26, 2025.

² Ibid.

³ Cleveland Clinic, "Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: What To Know About This Rare Cancer," June 7, 2021.

⁴ MDPI Journal, "What Is Next in Pediatric B-Cell Precursor Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia," May 12, 2023.

⁵ 13NewsNow, "Banana ball players help build a playset for Chesapeake boy fighting cancer," July 26, 2025.

⁶ WAVY-TV, July 26, 2025.

⁷ WTVR CBS 6, "Rival Banana Ball teams building playset for Virginia boy battling cancer offers ‘glimmer of hope’," July 26, 2025.

⁸ WAVY-TV, July 26, 2025.

⁹ GuideStar, "ROC SOLID FOUNDATION INC," 2025.

¹⁰ ROC Solid Foundation, "Our Playset Program," January 7, 2025.