The Fighter: Shannon Forde
Fighter…Courageous…An inspiration. Just a few of the many words used to describe the late Shannon Forde who lost her battle to stage IV cancer in 2016.
Before cancer struck, Shannon was a trailblazer for women in baseball. A graduate from St. John’s University, Shannon joined the Mets in 1994 and immediately started to make an impact. She worked hard at any task given and never feared to take control of any situation. Shannon’s hard work would not go unnoticed as she eventually earned the title of Senior Director of Media Relations.
Shannon’s work for the team was also recognized by Major League Baseball as she was asked to work numerous postseason events for the league. She was always willing to help, especially with a smile on her face, but never wanted the light shown on her. After being diagnosed in 2012, a group of Shannon’s closest friends aka the ‘Dirty Dozen,’ threw her a fundraising dinner that she basically had to be dragged to. Despite not wanting the attention, the night went on and drew nearly 1,200 people wanting to show their support.
With that, she also worked closely with the players, whether it was helping them through their transitions to New York or giving PR advice. Team Captain David Wright was particularly close and impacted by Forde, who called Shannon “our team mom.” Shannon helped Wright from the moment he was called up with his transition to the majors, his move to New York and assisting with his foundation, The David Wright Foundation.
After her passing, hundreds of people reached out to the organization to express their sympathy. The outpouring across the league from fans, reporters, team/league executives to current and former players showed the tremendous impact that Shannon had, and not just as a well-respected baseball PR executive, but as a person. Former Met Ron Darling remembered, “Any room that you went into, she was the light that was shining in that room.”
During the 2016 season the team kept her memory alive by honoring her in the design of the championship belt that is awarded to a player after each victory. One side of the belt displayed a shamrock while the other showed a pink ribbon. “She was our champion,” said Wright. “She fought the good fight for so long. We all could learn so much from the way she lived life.”
The champion belt wasn’t the only gesture to memorialize Shannon. Major League Baseball hosted a league wide auction that raised more than $235,000. That money went towards renovating a brand new baseball/softball field in the town of Little Ferry, New Jersey where Shannon grew up. On Friday, June 2, 2017 Shannon’s father Michael Dalton and her two kids Nicholas and Kendall cut the ribbon to officially open up the Shannon Dalton Forde Memorial Field and let her memory continue to live on.
