Life has thrown a lot of fastballs at the Funderburk family in the last few months.
Twins pitcher Kody Funderburk and his wife, Alicia, found out they were expecting in September of last year. They welcomed a healthy baby girl, Murphy Jo Funderburk, on Monday, but that wasn’t the end of their surprises.
On Friday, the Twins announced Alicia was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma during the pregnancy. Since undergoing chemotherapy treatments, doctors are hopeful Alicia will make a full recovery, the team added.
“Kody and I have been on cloud 9 these last few days, enjoying so many newborn snuggles. Thank you to everyone for all the prayers and support. It means the world to us,” Alicia wrote in resharing the Twins’ post on Instagram on Friday.
“We are inspired by the strength and positivity the Funderburks have shown and we wish them the very best and continue to support them on and off the field,” the Twins’ announcement concluded.
At the time of diagnosis, the Funderburks knew that if Alicia had not been pregnant, it’s anyone’s guess how long it would have taken to detect the cancer.
“Yeah, this sucks, but we do have a lot of positives to be thankful for, and I think that’s really what you lean into when something like this is going on,” Kody said at the time, per Yahoo Sports.
As she neared her due date, Alicia halted chemotherapy and is set to resume treatment in a few weeks following Murphy Jo’s birth.
“While this season of life hasn’t looked how we imagined, Kody and I are beyond grateful for all the love, prayers, and support around us.” Alicia wrote in an Instagram post days before giving birth to share her and Kody’s story publicly over the past months. “We have been constantly reminded of how blessed we are every step of the way.”
“It’s absolutely amazing what she’s gone through,” Kody said. “I think that’s freakin’ badass that she’s strong enough and tough enough to go do it on her own and take care of the two dogs at the house and be by herself going through it. A lot of props to her.”
The lefty reliever came off the paternity list Friday and is headed back to the bullpen as Kendry Rojas was sent to Triple-A St. Paul in a corresponding move.
In nine innings this season, Funderburk has a 2.00 ERA with eight strikeouts against seven walks. He also has logged one save.