'It means everything': Emotional O'Hoppes celebrate dad being cancer-free

This story was excerpted from Rhett Bollinger’s Angels Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox. A version of this story originally ran on August 7.

A little rain couldn’t put a damper on a special day for the O’Hoppe family on Aug. 7 at Yankee Stadium.

The family celebrated Angels catcher Logan O'Hoppe's father, Michael, being cancer-free for two years and had more than 350 friends and family members at the ballpark to take it all in.

O’Hoppe, who grew up a Yankees fan on nearby Long Island, had his parents drop him off at the park before the doubleheader and was excited to have everyone there to show their support for his father. They all wore special “O’Hoppe 14” shirts to raise money and awareness for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, which is an organization O’Hoppe supported as part of MLB Players' Weekend.

O'Hoppe added to that by wearing a special chest protector that was drawn on and signed by patients during a visit to Miller Children’s Hospital in Long Beach.

“We had the kids sign and draw pictures on it," he said. "And then they wrote their names on the inside. I'm happy that [MLB gave] us an opportunity to bring light to a lot of things we care about.”

On Aug. 7, O’Hoppe had the chance to meet with his family and friends in the brief time in between the two games, and his father beamed with pride when describing his relationship with his family and his son. He was also grateful for everyone’s support, not just on Wednesday, but during his battle with cancer.

“It’s a blessing,” Michael O’Hoppe said. “Not too long ago, I didn’t know if I’d be here or not. So to have my friends and family and the doctor who saved my life and his staff here, it means everything. I’m just beyond blessed and grateful.”

It was almost three years to the date when the family found out the devastating news on Aug. 2, 2021, that Michael was diagnosed with Stage 4 Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (ALCL), a rare and aggressive form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. But under the care of Dr. Oscar Lahoud and through receiving treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering, O'Hoppe's cancer went into remission in 2022 after a stem-cell transplant.

Dr. Lahoud was one of several guests at the twin bill, as he’s grown close with the family. He met O’Hoppe shortly after he was diagnosed and was impressed by the way he carried himself and how much family meant to him.

“It’s a true privilege,” Dr. Lahoud said. “Today, his daughter, Melanie, said, ‘You didn't save just one life, you saved four.’ Because that's really a testimony of how tight of a family nucleus they are. It’s really quite amazing. And Logan hasn’t changed over the years, even after becoming the superstar he is today.”

O’Hoppe, who is having a breakout season and has already developed as one of the club’s biggest leaders despite being only 24, said it was tough to deal with his father’s cancer diagnosis as a family but added that it only brought them closer and taught them plenty of life lessons.

“It was terrifying,” O’Hoppe said. “Anyone that knows us knows how tight-knit we are, and [we're] so close to each other. So it was scary. But it taught us a lot about life and really put things in perspective. Like when you go through that, it seems that baseball doesn't matter as much. Obviously, he's cured now and wouldn't want to go through it again, but definitely grateful for the lessons we learned.”

O’Hoppe, who was acquired by the club at the 2022 Trade Deadline, was a prospect in the Phillies' organization when his father was first diagnosed. But cancer also hit the younger O'Hoppe hard on a personal level when his close friend and fellow Phillies Minor Leaguer Corey Phelan was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in 2022 and passed away just six months after his diagnosis on Oct. 13, 2022.

But O’Hoppe has remained active in trying to keep Phelan’s memory alive while also raising funds for cancer research. He participated in the second annual “Corey’s Promise” golf tournament in Northport, N.Y., on Monday.

“It was a great day,” O’Hoppe said. “I went and saw a lot of people that I hadn't seen in a while, and obviously, kept his name alive. So it was an important day for everyone.”

O’Hoppe also had the chance to spend more time with his family on Aug. 8 because of the rainout. He went to his favorite local Italian restaurant, Robke’s, for dinner. He cherishes his time with his family and says he gets to see them plenty in the offseason.

This offseason, the O’Hoppes will participate in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) "Light The Night" walk in Westbury, N.Y., on Oct. 19. It’s an event they’ve attended in past years, but this will be the first time O’Hoppe has encouraged others to join them as they raise money for a great cause.

“We’re trying to raise money for research and for charity,” Michael O’Hoppe said. “I always try to make it a point to give back because I was given so much.”