Dylan Lee Returns to Thank the Nurse Who Predicted He’d Be an Athlete When He Was Born

A comment made in a delivery room more than 30 years ago came full circle when Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Dylan Lee returned to Kaweah Health in Visalia, California, to reunite with the nurse who helped deliver him.

Lee, a Dinuba native and a member of the Braves’ 2021 World Series championship team, recently visited Kim Hofer, the labor and delivery nurse who was present the day he was born. According to Lee, stories from that day were shared with him throughout his childhood, including one remark that stayed with him.

On the day of his birth, Hofer told Lee’s parents their baby would grow up to be an athlete. During the recent visit, Lee reflected on that moment, telling Hofer, “I turned out to be an athlete.”

Kim Hofer, who has worked as a nurse for more than 35 years and helped deliver hundreds of babies, said she was surprised by the reunion. “I was surprised,” Hofer said. “I did not expect anyone to reach out to me.”

Lee said Hofer’s comment became a familiar story in his family as he grew up.  “I heard the stories from when I was five years old, from as early as I can remember.”  

Growing up in California’s Central Valley, Lee played a variety of sports but quickly gravitated toward baseball. “I just couldn’t get enough of baseball,” Lee said.

His passion for the game led him to play Little League in both Dinuba and Orosi at the same time, balancing schedules to maximize his time on the field. By elementary school, Lee had already written a paper describing his goal of becoming a professional baseball player.

Lee went on to graduate from Dinuba High School, then played two years at the College of the Sequoias before transferring to Fresno State University. He said opportunities were limited early in his college career, but he remained committed. “I didn’t really have opportunities to play anywhere else,” Lee said. “The rest is history.”

In 2016, Lee was drafted by the Miami Marlins, earning his first call-up to Major League Baseball. He later joined the Atlanta Braves, where he played a role in the team’s 2021 World Series championship.

For Hofer, seeing where Lee’s life and career had taken him was deeply meaningful. “I was the first person to meet him, kind of,” Hofer said. “He’s made good in his life. He’s really done well, and that makes me feel good that I’m able to be a part of that in a distant way.”

While nurses often care for patients during life’s earliest moments, they rarely witness where those lives eventually lead. Lee’s visit offered a rare glimpse into the long-term impact of nursing care and how small, meaningful interactions can echo decades later. For Hofer, seeing Lee’s success highlighted the quiet, lasting ways nurses become part of their patients’ stories. For Lee, the reunion connected the beginning of his life to the journey that followed.

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