NATCHEZ — On a day dedicated to battles hard fought on the diamond, two youth baseball players received awards for the struggles they faced off the field.

Brody Bequette and Bentley Broussard were decked out in their uniforms. Bequette in his yellow and black jersey with his black cap on, and Broussard in his gray and blue jersey with his blue hat on.

Saturday at Duncan Park’s Dixie Youth baseball awards ceremony, Bequette, 8, and Broussard, 7, eagerly waited in line with their teammates to receive trophies they earned for playing this year.

Before they were handed their mementos, however, league president Angie Hollowell called both young players and their families to the front to be recognized.

As Bequette and Broussard made their way toward Hollowell, they were met halfway by their moms — Crystal Davis (Bequette’s mom) and Kelly Broussard. Once they all reached Hollowell, she gave a little speech and then handed the young players — Brody and Bentley — “Our Little Heroes” awards.

The two young athletes earned the awards not because of their baseball skills, but because of the battles they both endured off the field — both having been diagnosed with cancer when they were 4 years old — each had neuroblastoma.

Since they were so young when they were diagnosed, Brody and Bentley could not comprehend the impact the illness had on their families. Their parents, however, could, and they said almost every possible outcome flooded through their minds.

“It was very scary,” said Kelly Broussard, Bentley’s mom. “The thought of losing him was and is heartbreaking.”

Although every bad thought ran through their minds, Davis, Kelly and James Broussard — Bentley’s father — said they put on brave faces for their children.

“You deal with it,” Davis said. “You pick up, and you just do what the doctors tell you to do. You fight it and just keep on going. You learn to live a new normal.”

Both of the young players describe baseball as their favorite sport. Brody, however, said football is getting close to dethroning baseball as his favorite sport.

When they were undergoing treatments, neither Brody nor Bentley could participate in the sport they loved.

Brody and Bentley each went through several treatments. Bentley underwent bone marrow and stem cell transplants, six rounds of chemotherapy and countless other types of therapy while Brody also went through stem cell transplants and proton and antibiotic therapy.

Since the treatments were so extensive, Brody and Bentley had long hospital stays. On occasion, they were able to go home. But when they were home, they had to stay home.

“We had to keep him secluded,” Kelly Broussard said. “He couldn’t do anything or go anywhere. He didn’t understand why he couldn’t do this or that. We didn’t want to risk him getting even more sick.”

Although Bentley didn’t know why he couldn’t spend time with his friends, he longed to play baseball.

“I was upset I couldn’t play baseball,” Bentley said. “I wanted to play badly.”

Brody has been in remission for almost five years now while Bentley has been in remission since June 2016.

Although both are now in good health, cancer doesn’t ever fully go away. Brody and Bentley each have to go in for check ups every few months. And since the threat of cancer still looms, the thought of it lingers in the back of their parents’ minds.

“You try and move past it,” Davis said. “You try to live a new normal life, but it is always there. But you just try to be positive and push forward. However, it truly never leaves your mind.”

Yet for Brody and Bentley, they aren’t as nervous as their parents. They both say they are positive their cancer will never come back.

“I think, What could happen if it would comeback?” Brody said. “Other than that, I’m not scared of it because I know it’s not coming back. God told me it’s not coming back.”

Brody and Bentley both said they know they have gone through a lot already at an early age, but they said that doesn’t matter.

They are just happy to be healthy and playing baseball with their friends.