June 28, 2026 | By: Jennifer Stitt in For Love of the Game
There are moments in life that remind us just how quickly everything can change. One minute you’re planning with your staff for the best summer yet. You’re talking about new roles, new plans, and all of the memories waiting to be made to make this the best summer yet. The next minute, you’re getting a message that changes it all.
Earlier this week, one of our staff, Solomon Oziel, underwent emergency surgery after doctors discovered a brain tumour. There are some things that are simply impossible to prepare yourself for. For me, and many of us at camp, this summer won’t feel quite the same.
Solomon first came to Field of Dreams Baseball Camp in 2012 when he was just six years old. Since that very first summer, he has been here every single year. Fourteen summers. Fourteen years of memories. Fourteen years of laughter, growth, friendships, and an unwavering love for this camp.
He didn’t just grow up at Field of Dreams. In many ways, Field of Dreams grew up with him. Over the years, Solomon has been a camper, a volunteer, a counsellor, and most recently, one of our Field Directors. Every role he has taken on has been fuelled by the same enthusiasm, kindness, and genuine excitement that he had as a little boy walking onto the field with us for the first time each summer.
If you’ve ever met Solomon, you know exactly what I’m talking about.
He has a way of making people feel welcome. His smile is contagious. His energy lifts everyone around him. He loves this camp with his whole heart, and that love has inspired me more than he’ll probably ever know.
Solomon has always been the mastermind behind camp’s infamous surprise water dumps. He’d spend half the day plotting and sneaking around with a giant Gatorade cooler, waiting for the perfect moment to drench an unsuspecting counsellor. Those moments weren’t just funny, they were pure Solomon. They brought laughter to everyone around him and became one of the many little traditions that made Field of Dreams feel like home.
I’ve told Solomon for years that he is the heart and soul of this camp. And I truly mean it. As a camper, his excitement reminded me why I started this camp in the first place. Watching him run around the bases celebrating a home run, seeing how much something like the wiffle draft meant to him each week, and watching him grow into a leader inspired me to keep making Field of Dreams bigger and better every single year.
When you have campers like Solomon, you don’t just build a camp, you build a family.
This summer, Solomon was supposed to be leading at multiple locations, creating unforgettable experiences for hundreds of campers and mentoring the next generation of counsellors. Instead, his focus is where it belongs, on healing, recovering, and getting healthy.
For the first time in fourteen years, Solomon won’t physically be with us this summer. But his presence will be everywhere. Every cheer, every laugh, every game of baseball, every camper who leaves with a smile, they’ll all carry a little piece of the impact Solomon has had on this camp.
This summer, we are dedicating our season to Solomon. Our weekly MVP Award will now be known as the Solomon MVP Award…a small tribute to someone who has shown us what it truly means to love this camp, lift others up, and lead with kindness and enthusiasm.
Our hope is that, before long, Solomon will be back where he belongs, standing on a field surrounded by campers, handing those awards out himself.
Until then, we’d love for our Field of Dreams family to rally behind one of our own.
Please join us in sending Solomon your love, your prayers, your encouragement, and your best wishes for a full and speedy recovery. We know the road ahead won’t be easy, but we also know that he has an entire community standing beside him every step of the way.
This experience has reminded me of something we often forget during the excitement of summer (and something I sometimes forget in the craziness of planning a summer).
Every game matters.
Every laugh matters.
Every hug, every high five, every memory we make together matters.
Life can change in an instant.
So this summer, let’s play a little harder, laugh a little louder, appreciate the people around us a little more, and never take a single day for granted.
We love you, Sol. You are our MVP.
With Love,
Jennifer Stitt