COLUMBUS, Ohio — Although their paths crossed on the football field, Buckeye legend Cardale Jones and former Ohio State Brutus Buckeye mascot Gabe Gemberling never met one another.

What You Need To Know

  • Each year in the U.S., more than 72,000 adolescents and young adults ages 15 to 39 are diagnosed with cancer with nearly a 14% mortality rate

  • It is the leading cause of death for that age group

  • The Cardale Jones Charity Softball Game and Home Run Derby is held at Huntington Park in Columbus, Saturday, July 17 at 6:30 p.m. 

  • The softball game will reunite Buckeye greats in an attempt to raise funds for cancer research

What they share in common is a passion for raising awareness and finding a cure for adolescent and young adult cancer (AYA). 

“I want to do my part of pretty much helping people and finding a cause that's kinda near and dear to my heart," said Jones. "Because I'm sure a lot of us can have some kind of relationship with cancer — we know someone or we know someone who may have had it."

Before his work with the James Next Gen Ambassador Society and Steps for Sarcoma, Gemberling battled AYA.

"They did an x-ray and quickly found a malignant long-bone tumor that would later be identified as osteosarcoma," Gemberling said. "So I went through two surgeries after that to remove the cancer and received clear scans, and I continue to be doing great until February of 2021. So this past February, I was re-diagnosed with the same cancer in the same location."

According to The James, each year in the U.S., more than 72,000 adolescents and young adults ages 15 to 39 are diagnosed with cancer with nearly a 14% mortality rate. It's the leading cause of death in this population. 

“This is a population that is often underrepresented and overlooked in cancer care and in cancer research and in clinical trials. And so, events like this really helps to support our mission and our growing program,” said Associate Director of Psychosocial Oncology and JamesCare for Life Annie Trance. 

Those facts hit home with Jones, who continues to raise awareness and funds for The James through his Buckeye Cruise for Cancer and upcoming charity softball game that will reunite several Buckeye greats. 

“The game is just a unique aspect to try and raise money and give it back," Jones said. "And it's also a great opportunity to catch up with former teammates. Doing something to pretty much help a guy like Gabe or someone our age group that's potentially dealing with or struggling with cancer, it means a lot to me." 

Both said they're proud to represent the importance of funding critical care and programs to serve the needs of patients with AYA and they hope to continue the tradition for years to come. 

“I think Cardale's actually doing it because he cares, and that was clearly apparent to me with his initiative to do the softball tournament. I feel pretty fortunate. So you can look at it pretty pessimistically, but there's certainly a lot of optimism to come out of it,” said Gemberling.

Gemberling, who works in the construction industry, is part of the project to construct a new hospital tower on The James campus. 

The Cardale Jones Charity Softball Game and Home Run Derby is held at Huntington Park in Columbus, Saturday, July 17 at 6:30 p.m.