Two weeks ago, we profiled 14U pitcher Taylor Cook, who plays for the California Grapettes.

The high school freshman was named as a member of the 2024 PGF Ultimate Challenge All-Tournament Team but it’s her inspiring drive to even play—despite numerous medical challenges—that has impressed so many who are now fans of the young athlete from Northern California.

Since the article Taylor Cook, Pitcher for California Grapettes 14U, Triumphs Over Health Issues & 38 Surgeries was published on November 14, the teen has had two more surgeries with another scheduled for Dec. 23^rd.

The response to Taylor’s drive to play on has been tremendous and you also have to credit her parents Cam and Nicole—who is also the head coach of Taylor’s Grapettes team—along with her younger siblings Jaxson (age 8) and Roy (6) for their consistent support.

Line Drive asked the athlete’s mother and coach to share what she is grateful for this week of Thanksgiving in light of all she and family have to deal with on and off the playing fields.

Here’s Nicole Cook’s inspiring message on the subject of “What I’m Thankful For This Thanksgiving…

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Thanksgiving Day, before everyone else and just sat here thinking about everything…enjoying my coffee in the quiet and really digging deep, which wasn’t hard.

For families such as ours, in this softball world, it can be hard to really find the time to reflect on what we are truly thankful for simply because of how busy we all are this time of year.

The holidays are my absolute favorite time of year because I love the traditions, family time, arts and crafts and baking with my kids, etc.

Shoot, my Christmas tree has been up since Halloween night, but I’m not too proud to say that I easily get distracted with everything else going on to really sit and take in this time and express what all I’m thankful for.

In the softball world, Thanksgiving week is one of the busiest weeks of the year. You have the Early Thanksgiving Showcase and Don Battles On events to kick off the Thanksgiving week break.

Then you get home and it’s the immediate “time to shop and clean and cook!” and you’re unpacking from the showcase just to do laundry and repack again to travel.

Thanksgiving Day hits, you spend the day with loved ones, then it’s straight home for the second most stressful time of year…tryouts!

Not to mention, the kids are trying to hang out with friends while they’re out of school, not wanting to help clean or anything, which turns into parents and kids arguing and fighting.

So, really, on the whole, what’s supposed to be a relaxing week is just nine days of stress!!!

I’m in that boat.

This year we didn’t attend a Pre-Thanksgiving showcase, but Taylor had surgery and was in the hospital instead, which is chaos in itself.

Then she was discharged and all I’ve been doing this week is taking my son to soccer every day, cleaning along with shopping, cooking and managing my own mini hospital in my house.

It took me until the morning of Thanksgiving to sit down and really get the time to think about everything I am thankful for…

I’m thankful for my family…which is what everyone says… but my family is a little different.

I have all my kids here and we are home today; however, I almost lost Taylor twice, so having her here is a miracle and something I will forever be thankful for, (even if she’s being a typical teenager who wants nothing to do with Mom!).

Taylor had surgery last week and hasn’t had the easiest recovery and I know she could have easily spent the holiday in the hospital.

But she’s home!

She is going to be 15 in January and if she achieves her goal of going off to college, (and playing softball), that’s only three more Thanksgiving holidays with her living here…it’s been hard to grasp that reality!

I’m thankful I get to see my youngest, Roy, live his little dreams of playing competitive soccer. At age 6 he is playing kids two years older than him, competitively, and is a goal scoring machine! He has his own goals and is determined to reach them and I’m thankful he has the physical capability to do all he does!

I’m thankful for my son, Jaxson, who is age 8 and what he has accomplished this year. Jaxson is moderately autistic. He hates sports and wants to be in his own world, so while Taylor and Roy are off playing their sports, Jaxson stays home with his Grandma.

He loves it, but we appreciate how he is so cooperative with our lives; if he wasn’t, we wouldn’t be able to do all that we do.

He’s now talking and learning, loving school and found that Boy Scouts is his favorite thing. Jaxson has tried many different activities over the years and finally found his thing…we never thought he would, so we are incredibly thankful that his pack is so welcoming and accommodating for him!

I’m thankful for my husband, Cameron, too.

On top of being my best friend, he’s been extremely supportive of my coaching for so many years and being able to do this together now is a dream come true. Softball is our life and I couldn’t imagine doing this with anyone else.

I’m also thankful for my Mom and my mother in law. Without them being able to help with our kids for practices and tournaments, there would be no Grapettes National – Cook team. They are truly the reason why we get to coach.

I’m thankful for the team I get to coach as the girls are coachable, trusting, flexible and motivated. It’s the easiest group we have gotten the opportunity to work with, and it helps that they have great parents who know and trust the process and trust us to coach them.

I’m thankful for the roof over our heads, the food on our table and I’m thankful for the opportunities our team is getting with our organization.

I’m thankful for PGF and what they do for girls all over the country who are trying to live out their dreams. There’s so much I am thankful for but will not spell it all out here… I think I have said enough for everyone to get the point!

The point is… there are times where we need to settle down from our everyday life and really take a step back to reflect on what we are thankful for.

It doesn’t have to be just Thanksgiving week, it shouldn’t be, but with the stressful lives we live in this softball/sports world, we have to be able to find the time to express and show how thankful we are for not just the things in life, but those who we share it with.

Happy Thanksgiving weekend, softball world! See you on the field!

— Nicole Cook / California Grapettes 14U Coach