Milwaukee, Wisconsin – Milwaukee winemaker baseball has always been a part of her family life, as long as Grace Croft remembers. What she didn't expect was that when she grew up, one day, in the battle of life-threatening health, she would one day become her source of comfort.
“I've grown up since I was a child,” Croft said, standing in front of the American family field. “My father was a season ticket holder from the 1980s. We've been baseball all our lives.”
The 21-year-old has been battling Crohn's illness for nearly a decade. Although her external appearance looks healthy, her condition has become life-threatening and requires major surgery.
“Winemakers usually play whenever I'm in the emergency room or on a date, so it's like an exit to me,” Croft shared.
Watch: Brewers fans receive special gift from Christian Yelich ahead of life-saving surgery
Brewers fans receive special gifts from Christian Yelich before life-saving surgery
Her gut was severely damaged by chronic inflammatory disease.
“The regular intestine is very thick,” she explained. “Mine has turned into the size of a pencil, and it's so small due to scars and internal bleeding, so the only option is this complete resection, which is a little scary.”
As the surgery approached, Croft took a leap of faith and posted a message to her favorite winemaker Christian Yelich.
Hey @christianyelich First of all, congratulations! I'm going to watch every game – but I want to say this here, my health has dropped to life threatening, I'm under surgery, which will be huge if you read the following. pic.twitter.com/8pwpfyfush
– Grace Crofts (@gracecrofts913) September 29, 2025
“I've been a fan of Yelich since 2018,” Croft laughed. “That was the first jersey I got when I was in high school and I put it there and it was like, ‘Hey, it probably won’t go anywhere, but what if that?”
The power of social media and the baseball community quickly took over. In just one week, her post has received nearly 500,000 views.
“It's much bigger than baseball, like these fans from Cubs fans, Cardinal fans, Padres, Nationals,” Croft shared. “They're all commenting, tagging Christians, tagging winemakers, but they're just saying, we're with you. We make you love praying for you. Hope it goes well.”
Although the National League Division Series is ongoing, hospital visits are not available, Jelich makes sure Croft knows she is not alone in the fight. The winemaker organization surprised her with the baseball signed by Outer Fielder.
“It said to Grace. Hope the surgery goes smoothly. Brewer, signed by Christian!” Croft smiled after receiving the gift.
The gestures overwhelmed her.
“It's like the above and above,” she said. “I know he has a lot more plates now than you know, worrying about someone on Twitter. So, yes, I'm in awe.”
When Croft prepares for surgery on Tuesday, she plans to use the signed baseball as her good luck charm. She was also happy to see the winemakers continue to playoffs against the Chicago Cubs in the NLDS as they recovered in the hospital.
This story reminds people that baseball is not always about the game, but the way it can bring people together in the most challenging moments of their lives.
News reporters reported the story and have converted it to the platform with the help of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reports on all platforms to ensure fairness and accuracy.
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