Mother’s Day has special meaning for Tigers’ Mike Aviles

11:33 AM ET

A few months back, when he was one of the new additions at camp during spring training with the Detroit Tigers, Mike Aviles couldn’t hold back the sheer joy and relief in sharing the incredible news.

The 35-year-old infielder was beaming when talking about the recent feat of his 5-year-old daughter, Adriana. One of Aviles’ four children, Adriana was diagnosed with leukemia last May. But after undergoing a bone-marrow transplant in December, she was declared cancer-free.

Before the utter elation of such a pronouncement, it had been a trying year for the Aviles family, one that made him gain an even deeper appreciation for the mother of his children.

Adriana was diagnosed at the Cleveland Clinic while Aviles was still playing with the Cleveland Indians and was then transferred to Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City.

Mike Aviles said he gained a greater appreciation for the efforts of his wife, Jessy, after watching her take care of their three kids while pregnant last year, including 5-year-old daughter Adriana, who at the time had Leukemia. Aaron Doster/USA TODAY Sports

Aviles’ wife, Jessy, was pregnant when the couple learned the devastating news and they felt it best for her to be back in her home state of Utah for the remainder of her pregnancy and Adriana’s treatments. She split time with their three kids — Adriana has a twin sister and an older sister — while shuttling Adriana to and from treatments, all while carrying their fourth child, who would later turn out to be the baby boy of the family …

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