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Birds Nest

Baltimoreans Pay Tribute to Sports Superfan Mo Gaba

The 14-year-old lost his battle to cancer hours after being elected into the O’s Hall of Fame.

By Lauren Cohen | July 29, 2020, 03:07 pm

Mo Kids Opening Day
Baltimore Orioles

There’s a collective sense of heartbreak being felt among players, fans, and the entire city as the Orioles head into their home opener at Camden Yards. Last night, only hours after it was announced that he had been awarded the Wild Bill Hagy Award and elected into the Orioles Hall of Fame, sports superfan Mossila “Mo” Gaba passed away at the age of 14 after his fifth battle with cancer.

Gaba lost his eyesight to a malignant tumor when he was an infant, but his infectious laughter and positive attitude made him a shining light of positivity for sports fans in Baltimore and beyond. He was known for his frequent calls to local sports talk-radio shows and sideline visits with players at the stadiums. He was also honored as the first person to read off an NFL Draft selection from a Braille card in 2019.

Gaba’s outlook on life was perhaps summed up best in a 2018 interview conducted by outfielder Trey Mancini, one of Gaba’s closest friends and supporters: “Every day when I wake up in the morning, I always feel like I’m going to achieve something that’s pretty cool,” Gaba said then, sitting in his wheelchair on the field at Camden Yards. “I just think positive.”

Many local athletes and community members have taken to social media to share tributes to Gaba and send condolences to his mom, Sonsy, and the rest of his family.