Life Throws a Curveball: Dave Dravecky's Journey of Resilience.

What if enduring life's hardest moments could lead you to a new purpose? This episode we explore the inspiring journey of Dave Drevecky, a former ace pitcher for the San Francisco Giants, whose career was dramatically altered by a cancer diagnosis. Despite reaching the highest echelons of professional baseball, Dave faced the unimaginable when he was told he might never pitch again. However, his relentless determination saw him return to the mound triumphantly, only to suffer yet another heartbreaking setback. Dave's story is one of resilience, transformation, and ultimately, finding a deeper meaning beyond the baseball field.

Listen to how Dave Drevecky transformed personal tragedy into a mission of hope and inspiration for others. His journey wasn't just about overcoming cancer and the end of a cherished career; it was about embracing vulnerability, confronting his own anger and grief, and redefining what it means to succeed. Through years of hard work and counseling, Dave found a new path, one driven by faith, joy, and service to others. His story challenges us all to look beyond our struggles and find empowerment in our response to life's challenges. Tune in to hear the powerful lessons Dave learned and how they might just change your perspective too.

Remember, Sax in the Morning swag is now available on my Instagram site. Go to "Sax in the Morning" underscore podcast. (saxinthemorning_podcast)You'll see it right there on the Instagram and just hit the link. Everything's there Mugs, hats, tumblers you name it.

Transcript

Your daily game plan for success.
It's Sax in the Morning, Steve Sax.
Hi, Steve Sax, here with Sax in the Morning.
This is your weekly dose of motivation, inspirational stories, and tips for personal empowerment.
I want to tell you an incredibly inspiring story today for personal empowerment.
I want to tell you an incredibly inspiring story today.
This is about a peer of mine, a guy I faced off with on the baseball field many, many times back in the eighties.
But he's a man whose personal tragedy led him to spend the last 30 years inspiring people, and that man is none other than Dave Drevecky.
For those of you who haven't heard of Dave Drevecky, he was a very talented left-handed pitcher for the San Diego Padres and the San Francisco Giants.
In fact, he was so talented that I only hit .236 off him in my career. In 1987, Dave was traded to the Giants halfway through that year and led them to the playoffs, where he was absolutely lights out against the St. Louis Cardinals.
He started the next season as the Giants' ace and he was the opening day starter in 1988, finally reaching the pinnacle of a lifelong dream.
But later that August, it all came crashing down when he was diagnosed with cancer in his pitching arm.
The doctors had removed more than 50% of his deltoid muscle—that's that big muscle on the side of your shoulder—and told him that he would never pitch again.
Not one to give up, Dave rehabbed and worked and worked and worked until he got back down the mound and, wouldn't you know it, he made a triumphant return one year later, throwing eight innings and securing a 4-3 victory over the Dodgers.
Dave was back on top.
But those of you who know this story know what the heartbreaking turn is.
During his very next start, Dave reared back to throw a fastball and when he released it, his arm broke and he crumbled to the ground.
Will Clark was playing first base and he said that it sounded like a hunting rifle being shot.
Dave would soon learn that the cancer had returned and his best option to save his life was to have his entire arm amputated, from the shoulder blade on down.
And just like that, Dave's baseball career and everything he had worked so hard for was over.
This was such a tremendous personal loss.
I mean, most people never even come close to touching their dream.
Yet Dave achieved it, only to have it snatched away by a seemingly cruel twist of fate.
So Dave has since turned his misfortune into inspiration for others.
He has spent the 30 years since traveling the country, meeting people with cancer, raising money for a cure, and speaking to kids and companies about faith, finding joy, and overcoming adversity.
He learned that no longer did he have to be defined by what he did on the baseball field, but rather the size of his heart and his willingness to serve others.
This is a beautiful story and Dave is a great guy.
But what I love even more about this story is something I heard Dave share about his recovery after his injury.
It would be so easy to just say that this horrible thing happened and it gave Dave this great perspective on life, that he faced hardship, stared cancer in the face, survived, and has savored every moment since then.
But that's not the truth.
The truth is that Dave was very angry, he was confused, he was devastated.
His new outlook came with hard work to accept that change.
In fact, Dave has said that he has spent two and a half years in counseling to get over the anger and grief that he felt, and that's the bit of this story I find most inspiring.
Dave worked hard to find his new purpose, to find a new perspective, and to live today full of joy.
He said he realized that being vulnerable and addressing his struggles weren't a sign of weakness, but rather were a way out from feeling trapped and bitter to feeling free and finding that new purpose.
So if you're struggling to find your way, listening to this today, if you are the type of person who loves to hear stories of inspiration, or you see that post on social media where someone says this terrible thing happened to me and it gave me the perspective I really needed in my life, just know that the perspective gained for any of us never comes from some earth-shattering event that causes the shift.
For those of you who suffer such hardships, they are just a catalyst to do the work, to look deep within ourselves, to find a new purpose and direction.
That kind of work and that opportunity is available to anyone.
You don't have to get cancer and have your dreams dashed to seek a perspective on what matters to you in your life.
You can do it right now, today, but you have to work hard and use the help and support that you have available to you, because it's only with that hard work and support of others that you will ever find what you're looking for, and that is my short for today.
If you like what you heard, give us a positive review, subscribe, and share.
Also, remember that the Sax in the Morning swag is now available on my Instagram site.
Go to Sax in the Morning underscore podcast.
You'll see it right there on Instagram and just hit the link.
Everything's there: Mugs, hats, tumblers, you name it.