Williams dealing with dad's illness
By Andrew Baggarly
Special to The Advertiser
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — San Francisco Giants right-hander Jerome Williams made his spring training debut yesterday, but his thoughts have been back home with his father.
AP library photo • Aug. 19, 2003
Glenn Williams is seriously ill with the chronic effects of hepatitis C. The Honolulu resident was scheduled to undergo a kidney and liver transplant early next week in Portland, Ore., but his condition has deteriorated to the point where he cannot get on a plane.
Waipahu's Jerome Williams is scheduled to open the season as the San Francisco Giants fifth pitcher in the starting rotation.
Jerome checks his cell phone constantly for any messages or updates from home.
"It's not a good situation," said Jerome, a Waipahu High alum. "He could go at any time.''
At 23 years old, Jerome has endured much family trauma in his young life. He lost his mother, Deborah, to breast cancer in 2001 after a six-year battle. Ever since, Jerome memorializes his mother by wearing a puka shell necklace when he pitches. The Giants began selling them at SBC Park, with all proceeds going to cancer-related charities.
"When my mom died, the first week I couldn't even play baseball,'' Jerome said. "I was at Double-A and I just felt numb. But life goes on. You do what you have to do."
This winter, that meant staying in Fresno with his wife, Sarah, and daughter, Alana Deborah. He went back to Honolulu for only three days around Thanksgiving, shortly after his father had a kidney transplant.
"That was the hardest part about staying in Fresno," Jerome said. "He wanted to come out so bad but he couldn't. He couldn't fly. He'd be crying on the phone. I'd tell him, 'Dad, you take care of your stuff first. I'll do what I have to do to make it.' ''
Jerome said his father's body began to reject the kidney earlier this year. Jerome said his father didn't always follow his dietary restrictions and wasn't taking his all his medication on a regular basis.
"He's got, like, 15 bottles of pills,'' Jerome said. "My brothers (Elliott and Glenn Jr.) tell him, 'Dad, you have to do it.' But sometimes he doesn't take them. He just gets tired of taking them. I tell him, 'Dad, if you don't take your pills, you won't see me.' ''
Jerome recognizes the parallels between he and his father. He arrived in camp last spring almost 40 pounds overweight after relaxing back home in Hawai'i. Coaches immediately got on his case.
"We're so much alike,'' Jerome said, holding back tears. "We're so hard-headed. We don't want to listen to anyone. It's like something bad has to happen before we say, 'OK, I have to do something.' "
Jerome spent all winter in Fresno working out five days a week and throwing at Fresno City College. He said he entered camp at about 235 pounds, which is 35 pounds less than what he weighed this time a year ago.
Jerome draws confidence and inspiration from his start Sept. 30 at San Diego in which he pitched six strong innings. The victory allowed the Giants move into a tie for the wild card lead entering the final weekend of the season.
The Giants ended up two games out in the division and one behind Houston for the wild card, but Jerome's strong start gave the team some solace entering the winter. The San Diego start was his first in two months because of surgery to remove fragments from his elbow.
He said it was the biggest start of his career — even bigger than the playoff game he started against Florida in the 2003 NL Division Series.
"It was like having the whole organization on my back," he said. "That game restored my confidence."
Jerome is healthy, better conditioned to pitch deeper into games and is confident entering his third major-league season.
"He is making a statement to me,'' Giants manager Felipe Alou said. "This is a kid who is all business. He knows what he needs to do to be a success.''
Yesterday, he got off to a rocky start, allowing five runs and six hits in one inning of work in the Giants' 8-2 exhibition loss to the Chicago Cubs.
Jerome is scheduled to open the season as the Giants' fifth starter. His first start would be April 9 against the Colorado Rockies at SBC Park.
He is trying to keep his mind focused on getting ready for that start, but it's understandably difficult. He said his father has lost more than 100 pounds.
He suspects his brothers don't give him all the details on their dad's condition. Jerome said that doctors hope a new round of medication will improve his father's condition to the point he may be able to travel for the transplant surgery.
"My dad tells me not to worry about him," Jerome said. "I think he does that because I'm the youngest kid in the family. I just ... I can't wait for this stuff to be over. It's getting old to me. It's really been a tough time.''
Glenn Williams, 53, is a Vietnam veteran who worked as a carpenter for the army at Pearl Harbor.
Several years ago, a work-related accident put him on disability.
Jerome knows his success as a major leaguer can inspire his father to continue the fight and follow his doctor's instructions.
"He wants me to be here and stay focused on what I need to do,'' Jerome said. "He taught me how to play the game. I can't lose him."
"When I'm on the field, I'm doing it for them. It's not really for myself but for my family. I know my dad wanted a life like that."
