Ex-Trinidad and Tobago skipper Emrit bats against cancer

FORMER national captain Rayad Emrit will be among a team of top-tier cricketers taking part in the Trinidad and Tobago Cancer Society’s second for Global Relay for Life initiative, spearheaded by the American Cancer Society, to raise global awareness of cancer.

This year the event will take the form of a charity cricket fete match, themed Batting Against Cancer, on August 10, at the Skinner Park sporting facility, San Fernando.

Emrit’s participation in the event comes a year after his father, Carl Emrit, died of lung cancer in New York.

He told Newsday although so many months have passed, the loss of his father still feels raw, “like it was yesterday.”

“People say time heals everything; I really hope so and I pray a lot. I ask the Almighty to make it easy for me and my family and that he’s okay in his grave and I’ll see him in the hereafter.”

Emrit said his father was a very fit and healthy man who never liked going to doctors. So when he had a blackout while visiting his daughter in New Jersey, it took some doing to get him to see a doctor.

“He did eventually go, and the results from the doctors in the US was that he was okay. But when he returned home he still was not feeling well and we persuaded him to see a doctor here (TT).”

The tests revealed his cancer was at an advanced stage.

“He was diagnosed in February 2023 and passed away in June that same year, at 73.

“He used to smoke, stopped for quite a while, then started back, but occasionally.”

Emrit said one of the hardest things he has ever had to do was look at his father lying in bed, hoping for the best but preparing for the worst. He said one of his cousins in New York, a cancer survivor, had arranged for his father to be treated there, but he got pneumonia and never recovered.

“So he never got the opportunity to get the therapy he went there for.”

Emrit said his father, who was always the life of the party, was jolly even in his last moments.

“He was a real family man. He would take my mom grocery shopping, take the family on random drives around the country.

“He was my number one supporter. Most of the places I went to play cricket, he was always there. And even when I play cricket now, I always look up in the stands to see if he is there.”

He said chairman of the Cancer Society Robert Dumas has been a great source of support, as Dumas’s father also died of cancer.

“He was one of the few people to say to me, ‘It’s not going to be easy, and there will be times you want to break down and cry.’ He was always there.”

Emrit said his understanding of losing a loved one to the disease encouraged him to volunteer his services to the Cancer Society and try to make a difference in people’s lives.

“My contribution to the event is to basically to try to get the best players in the match. There are a lot of tournaments going on around the world now, so some of the international players may not be available.

“But the ones who are here, I will try to get them there and participate and do well. We want to attract as many people as possible to the event.”

Batting Against Cancer will feature two exciting ten-over cricket matches. Local cricket clubs will compete for a chance to face an all-star mixed cricket team comprising male and female national cricketers, led by Emrit and Anisa Mohammed.

The first match will showcase players from 24 major cricket clubs from communities nationwide.

The winners of this match will then face off against the all-star team, which will include Lendl Simmons, Brittany Cooper, Imran Khan, Lee-Ann Kirby, Terrence Hinds, Kharry Pierre, Kjorn Ottley, Caneisha Isaac and Reniece Boyce, to name a few.

Dumas said, “Cancer affects us all, directly or indirectly. It knows no boundaries, touches every family, and challenges our resilience. Yet, it is a battle that we can fight together.

This event is not just about raising awareness; it is about fostering a sense of unity, camaraderie, and support. It is about standing shoulder to shoulder with those who are fighting, those who have fought, and those who have lost loved ones to this devastating disease.

“I invite every one of you to stand with us in this fight against cancer. Your participation, your support, and your presence will make a difference. Join us in celebrating life, supporting our fellow citizens, and creating a future where cancer no longer casts a shadow over our lives.”