Whitby boy, 10, throws out first pitch at Jays game for deafblindness awareness

Ten-year old Alex Graham looked calm, cool, and collected as he stepped onto the field at Rogers Centre to deliver the first pitch before the Blue Jays game against the Tampa Rays Wednesday night.

The same can't be said for his mother, Sue Graham, who was by his side the entire time.

"It was actually overwhelming," said Graham.

• Whitby boy to throw out first pitch for Toronto Blue Jays for deafblindness awareness

Alex, who is deafblind,had been practicing for months for the pitch, which marked Deafblind Awareness Month.

His big moment wasn't without drama: there were a few tense seconds when Alex accidentally dropped the ball.

His mother quickly scooped it up and put it back into his hands, and Alex seemed to shake it off.

Thousands of fans watched with anxious anticipation as hegot some last minute instructions from Blue Jays Mascot Ace.

Alex then turned towards Jays pitcher Jeff Beliveau, who was crouched behind the plate, and let it fly.

The crowd roared as Beliveau scooped up the ball and ran it back to him.

Alex's dad, Craig Graham, choked back tears afterwards as he reflected on what he had just witnessed.

"I have a deafblind son that went and threw the first pitch." he said. "It's awesome."

Alex has partial vision and partial hearing stemming fromCHARGE syndrome an acronym used to describe a cluster of symptoms including heart defects and limited physical growth.

I have a deafblind son that went and threw the first pitch. It's awesome.- Craig Graham, Alex's dad

He can't always process his senses at the same time, explained Cathy Proll,executive director of the Canadian Deafblind Association's Ontario chapter.

"He might look at something for a minute, and then he'll close his eyes. And then he might be touching it and he might closehis eyes. And then he might sort of look and touch it together."

Proll said that Alex absorbs hissenses one at a time, and then puts them together in his head like a puzzle.

Experience brought out his 'crazy happy face'

After the pitch, his mother said that getting to spend an evening at the Rogers Centre sent Alex's senses into overdrive in a good way.

That was particularly evident just a few minutes before his big moment, when he got to spend a few moments with Ace, the Jays mascot.

"I call it the crazy happy face, when he has this huge, big grin." she said."And then he makes this vocal sound, I call it the good-to-be-alive vocalization," Sue Graham said.

Ace sat down on the field next to Alex, who marveled at his blue hands and oversized white running shoes. Sue said that watching the two of them interact may have been the highlight of the night.

"He was amazing, he got down to his level and he was just interacting with him, and just let Alex kind of take the lead."