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Boy who had open-heart surgery in 2020 to throw out Phillies' first pitch on Opening Day

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Pat Gallen
Pat Gallen
Philly native Pat Gallen has been with CBS News Philadelphia since 2015.
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Pat Gallen

/ CBS Philadelphia

On Thursday, the Philadelphia Phillies will begin their quest for a World Series title that has eluded them for nearly two decades.

But on Opening Day, the Phils will get a boost from a local kid who made an impressive comeback. 

On Tuesday, there was a celebration at Nemours Children's Hospital in Wilmington, Delaware, to honor Lucas Bibro. The 10-year-old from Harleysville, Pennsylvania, underwent open heart surgery at Nemours for a congenital heart defect in 2020. 

"It was a blur at the time when he had the surgery, and we were here for I don't know how many days, three, four? It was a ghost town," Becky Birbo, Lucas' mother, said. "This is crazy because there was nobody here. It was 2020, and masked up and all that stuff. But this place saved his life and gave him longevity that he may not have had otherwise, so that just means everything to us."

"Truthfully, we always felt welcomed here," Aaron Bibro, Lucas' father, said. "We always felt comfortable, and the entire experience was great. And today was really just the culmination of that and a celebration."

16pkg-pg-nemours-phillies-pep-rally-transfer-frame-1420.jpg
Lucas Bibro and his family at Nemours Hospital in Wilmington six years after he underwent open-heart surgery. CBS News Philadelphia

Lucas will throw out the first pitch before the Phillies' opener against the Texas Rangers Thursday. He's excited but taking it in stride. 

"That's really cool," Lucas said. "That's in a once in a lifetime ... I told most of my friends, they're really jealous."

To get him ready, Phillies shortstop Trea Turner sent him a message letting him know he'll be right there with him. 

"And guess what? I'll be there to catch the ball for you," Turner told Lucas Birbo in a video message. "How about you get some help right now with the Philie Phanatic?"

With the help of the Phanatic, Lucas looks ready. He said he's not nervous, but his mom is another story.

"I'm emotional, nerve-wracking, a little shaky, maybe," Becky Birbo said. 

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