Look at any family section during the Little League World Series, and you’re sure to find plenty of siblings supporting their brother (or sister) on the field as they chase baseball immortality. For one sibling pair, Charlie and Grace Doolin, that bond is incredibly strong.

Charlie, who played for Braintree Little League out of Braintree, Massachusetts, champions of the New England Region, and Grace are twins. They’re not the only set of twin siblings here in Williamsport with one twin cheering on the other. But Grace’s challenges and triumphs with a congenital heart defect and Down Syndrome and Charlie’s success as an athlete make this sibling duo stand out.

“Grace was born with a congenital heart defect and required two open-heart surgeries within the first year of her life. I found out she had this heart defect when I was six weeks pregnant. The doctors said ‘we’ve seen these kids go through surgery after surgery and still not make it.’ The cardiologist at Boston Children’s Hospital said the surgeries were a huge success. She’s come so far. She’s healthy, she has no restrictions,” Liz Doolin, the mom of Grace, Charlie, and older sister Lexi, said.

Along with baseball, Charlie plays hockey, too, and spends most of the year in the ice rink. No matter what sport it is, Grace is there to support Charlie.

“Grace is Charlie’s biggest fan. She’s always telling people about her twin. She loves telling people that she’s a twin, and talking about Charlie. She goes to his baseball games and his hockey games, and she’s always there to support him. She’s very proud of the fact that not only he’s her twin, but all the things that he’s accomplished,” father Teddy Doolin said.

Charlie and his teammates, most of whom attend school together in Braintree alongside Grace, protect Grace from bullying and are always looking out for her.

“(Charlie) watches over her. He is very protective. All his friends, a bunch of these boys, pretty much all the boys on the team have grown up together with Grace and have been at the same school, and they’re all so kind and welcoming and they all love her as much as he does,” Liz said.

Grace, who noted that her strong relationship with her brother dates back to their days as infants playing together, knows that she will always have the support of her brother, and vice versa.

“I support my twin in whatever he does, and he supports me and what I’ve been through,” Grace said.

“She’s always positive,” Charlie said. “She’s always saying nice things.”

Grace loves playing baseball, too, and is an active participant in Braintree Little League’s Challenger Division. Little League introduced the Challenger Division in 1989 for players with physical or mental challenges. Since then, it’s grown to include around 950 leagues and nearly 30,000 players in ten countries.

Braintree Little League has a robust Challenger program, with roughly 100 youngsters participating each year. Lexi even volunteers her time to assist with the league as a “buddy,” someone who helps the participants with batting, fielding, and running when they need it. The Challenger League, alongside other youth sports programs for children with disabilities in the Braintree area, keeps Grace involved in sports, just like her siblings.

“She plays in the Challenger League in Braintree. Charlie has a very busy schedule, but when he can make it, he’s there to support her. She loves to see him there, watching her games,” Liz said. “She also does a basketball program and bowling. Teddy and Charlie will come late to the bowling, but they’ll make it to watch her bowl. She just loves that and loves having them there.”

The Doolins love the Challenger Division and the opportunities it gives children with disabilities.

“I think the opportunity the Challenger offers Grace and all the other kids is unbelievable. Without that, without the Challenger Division, she wouldn’t be able to play baseball and have that bond and connection with Charlie. She sees him playing and it’s ‘when’s it my turn?’ The Challenger Division allows her that opportunity,” Teddy said.

As the twins continue to grow up, activities and life milestones will try to pull them in opposite directions. But both parents believe they will always be close.

“He’ll always be there for her. He even makes comments sometimes when she talks about getting her license, that if she doesn’t drive, he’ll drive her. He’ll bring her around,” Liz said.

“I think they’ll always be close. They’ll always have their special bond,” Teddy said. “Their paths will take them separate places, but I think they’re always going to have the bond of being twins and what they went through, especially when she was younger, and they’re still going through now. That bond won’t ever be broken.”