Cancer Survivor Rakes Dream Job at Cardinals Game

Kimberly Amos never wanted to meet her favorite players or throw the first pitch. For 60 years of watching St. Louis Cardinals games, she wanted something different: to rake the infield with the grounds crew.

The 67-year-old has been captivated by the precision and care the crew brings to Busch Stadium since attending games with her father as a child. While other fans wait for players to emerge from the dugout, Amos's show starts earlier, watching the crew transform the field into what she calls "pristine" condition.

"I think I probably have OCD," Amos said. "Everything is timed, and it's always done the same way, and it's perfect."

On August 11, AARP's Wish of a Lifetime granted her wish. Amos didn't just rake the infield. She painted home plate, marked the batter's boxes, and toured the underground equipment areas where the crew keeps the grass alive through winter with grow lights.

"It was like a dream come true," Amos said of working alongside the young crew members. "They were so kind and so accommodating to this old woman who came out there to invade their territory."

Her sister submitted the request to AARP's Wish of a Lifetime, which stood out among more than 1,000 applications. Executive director Tom Wagenlander said the humble uniqueness of her wish revealed her deep appreciation for baseball's smallest details.

The timing feels especially meaningful. Ten years ago, Amos was diagnosed with Stage IV neuroendocrine cancer, the same disease that took her mother's life. She continues treatment while participating in cancer research, never slowing her commitment to helping others.

Before retirement, Amos worked as a doula and childbirth educator, supporting over 1,000 families through birth. Now she volunteers at Lafayette Preparatory School near the stadium as "Nana Kim," where her two grandsons attend and her daughter serves as executive director.

Sunny's Take

Baseball-themed wishes are the most common requests AARP receives from seniors in their 70s and 80s, with nearly 130 granted so far. For Wagenlander, watching recipients reconnect with childhood memories through baseball never gets old.

For Amos, the experience connects her past with her present. She still has the wooden Joe Torre bat she received on "bat day" as a child. Now she's helping create baseball memories for 900 students who attend Cardinals games each spring, including watching third-graders sing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" on the field.

The grounds crew welcomed her warmly, proving that sometimes the best seat in the house isn't in the stands at all.