SAN DIEGO -- It's hard to be a big fan with a big injury, but 10News reporter Marie Coronel managed to do just that at the San Diego Padres Opening Day Monday.
It was her first adventure since a tree fell on her and 10News photographer Mike Gold while they were covering a storm on Feb. 1 in Mira Mesa, seriously injuring them.
“I remember when the Pad Squad came to the hospital," Marie said. "For some reason I was like ‘Yeah I’m going to be at opening day.’”
“She was completely immobile, head to toe, and she said, she told me that she’s not going to miss Opening Day,” her husband John laughed.
Marie just started physical therapy, so navigating through thousands of people was no easy task.
“So I’ve been upgraded to this nice soft neck brace,” Marie said. “I still have a sling. It’s a lot but at the same time, I’m from here so it’s always been a big deal to come to these games and I really wasn’t going to let this keep me from coming.”
In honor of her outing, the San Diego Padres threw her a curve ball. They put a sign up in right field that read, "The San Diego Padres welcome Marie Coronel back to Petco Park."
“It was a little crazy," Marie laughed. "I didn’t expect it. I didn’t know it was going to happen. It’s kind of cool because here I am rooting for my team, and they’re welcoming me back here to Petco. How crazy is that?”
