Community Spotlight: Striking Out Cancer, One Game at a Time
How one family’s love of baseball, and of their father, became a community tradition of hope
Some of the most powerful voices in the fight against prostate cancer belong to people you might not expect: a high school baseball team, a small New Jersey town, and three sons determined to honor their dad.
A Coach, a Mentor, a Dad
Salvatore (“Sal”) Joseph Nesto, Jr. was a devoted husband to Lisa, father to Ray, Matt, and Derek, and coach and mentor who spent his life on the ball field. Sal coaches hundreds of young platers in New Providence, NJ, from tee-ball through high school, passing his love of the game to his sons and an entire community. In 2008, Sal was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He lived with the disease for 16 years, and through it all, he never stepped away from the field or the young players who counted on him.
Turning Love into Action
Wanting to bring awareness to his father’s disease, Sal’s son Matt created the “Strikeout Prostate Cancer ‘Blue Out'” event at Moravian University. In 2016 and 2017, Ray, Matt, and the baseball team decorated the school’s field in ligh blue, sold blue t-shirts and accessories, and raised more than $10,000 for the Prostate Cancer Foundation.
Five years later, inspired by his brothers’ tenacity, Derek shared Sal’s journey with his own baseball team. Together, Derek, his teammates, and their coaches created the New Providence High School “Strikeout Cancer” initiative: an annual spring event benefiting PCF, featuring a rivalry game, commemorative t-shirts, wristbands, and community concessions.
“I was born in 2004, and my dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2008. I don’t remember my dad’s life without him having the disease. … It’s only right that he is honored for all he did for baseball in the town, and the yearly Strikeout Cancer Game is the perfect way to do that. I see people I’ve never met walking around town wearing the ‘Strikeout Cancer’ shirts, and that’s how I know our event is making a difference.” — Derek Nesto
A Lasting Legacy
Throughout his journey, Sal received expert care from Dr. Dana Rathkopf, a genitourinary medical oncologist, 2011 PCF Young Investigator, and mentor to several PCF Young Investigator and Challenge Award winners — a reflection of how the researchers PCF funds today become the physicians caring for patients tomorrow. When Sal passed away on July 8, 2024, his family asked that donations in his memory be directed to PCF.
For the past four years, the New Providence High School Baseball Team has carried the tradition forward, raising $8,818 this year and more than $20,000 overall, with no intention of stopping anytime soon.
To the Nesto family and everyone who has worn blue, bought a shirt, or cheered from the stands: thank you. Your generosity funds research that is changing what a prostate cancer diagnosis means for millions of men and their families.
Start Your Own Tradition
The most meaningful fundraising campaigns are born from personal experience. If you feel inspired to create your own, visit https://pcfcommunity.funraise.org/.