COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- Update

A man stepped up the pitcher's mound at Security Service field this week with a little help from Facebook.

Gene Garcia, a veteran living with post-traumatic stress disorder, is a huge Colorado Rockies fan.

His daughter, Sarah, organized a Facebook campaign to see if he could throw out a first pitch at a Rockies game. When FOX21 News interviewed her a few weeks ago about her Facebook page she had 85 fans. Since the story ran her fans have quadrupled and the page now has more than 400 fans.

The Colorado Sky Sox held a Military Appreciation Day game Wednesday, sponsored by Dave Solon Kia. The company contacted Gene Garcia and asked him to throw out the first pitch at the game.

"Very exhilarating. I can't even explain the feeling of it. It was great," said Garcia about his first pitch.

Later this month Garcia and his family have been invited to go to Denver for a behind the scenes night at a Rockies game.

FOX21 News will attend the game with them June 19, and have more on their story afterwards.

Click here to view footage of Garcia's first pitch at the Sky Sox game. 

You can also become a fan of Garcia’s dream by clicking here.

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Original Story

Facebook can be pretty powerful. The social networking site is responsible for getting actress Betty White to host an episode of Saturday Night Live.

Now one Colorado Springs woman is hoping to use the power of Facebook to make her father's dream come true.

It's America's pastime, and Gene Garcia’s favorite game. Which is why his daughter created a Facebook page to try to make his dream of throwing out the first pitch at a Rockies' game come true.

"I just want everybody to know that there are good people in the world and they really deserve to have good things happen to them," said Sarah Temple, Garcia’s daughter.     

Garcia, a former Fort Carson soldier and an Iraq war veteran, suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

"It's rough, I mean I'm living with it now and I’m sure it will never go away," said Garcia.

Garcia suffers from nightmares and was heavily into drugs and alcohol.

"He's changed. And it's not necessarily that it's made him worse. It's made him different and I miss my old dad, but I love the dad I have now," said Temple.

Garcia finds support from his family but he also finds joy in the game of baseball.

"Just sitting there with the crowd, the noise, the game going, all your cares just go away," said Garcia.

His daughter created a Facebook page in hopes of gaining some attention to her father’s dream.

"I thought this was the perfect way to surprise him and to really do something that I knew he would appreciate," said Temple.

The page asks for people to become fans of her father's dream of throwing out the first pitch at a Rockies' game.

"I was pretty amazed. I mean it's pretty special that she's willing to do something like that for me. It’s just incredible to have a kid like that," said Garcia.

Temple says she's been amazed by the support she's gathered so far.

“I've got people that I don't even know who are fans on the page and that's more than I could ask for. Because, really, my goal is to just make my dad understand that I adore him and that I appreciate everything he's ever done for me," said Temple.

And whether or not he ever gets to throw out the first pitch Garcia say's he's already hit a home run.

"With baseball you have nine innings, you know, same with life. You know if you don't do good there's always tomorrow. You know there’s always another day to go out and win a game, same with life. You strike out, you get back up and you get back up to the plate. And hopefully you hit a home run. I did that with both my kids and wife. So life is good," said Garcia.

You can become a fan of Garcia’s dream by clicking here.

Click on the camera icon to view the video as it aired on FOX21 News.