Chicago Cubs: The Dempsters lead the fight against DiGeorge Syndrome
Chicago cubs’ pitcher, Ryan Dempster, and his wife Jenny have been on a crusade to raise awareness about DiGeorge Syndrome. The disorder that has various effects on the motor skills of an individual has been part of the Dempsters’
lives since their daughter, Riley, was diagnosed with the ailment in 2009. The 22q11.2 deletion as it is also known has been a cause for concern and Ryan has taken a personal stand against the syndrome.
Ryan’s wife Jenny, first, found out about other people who had experienced the disorder in their families. Taking a personal stand against the disorder, Ryan launched an initiative to help raise awareness on the ailment. Furthermore,
he started the Dempster Foundation in 2009 to kick-start his mission. The entity has raised more than $450,000 through fundraising charity events. In addition to that, the foundation donated $185,600 in charity to organizations to help spread the financing
needed to back the program.
Dempster’s foundation helped organize a memorable charity fundraising event back in July. The Casino Night and Concert event jump started the initiative and helped raise a lot of funds. D'Agostino's Pizza and Pub was the other
venue that brought together a lot of people for the cause. Both the jointly hosted fundraisers have seen major players join in. Ted Lilly and Kerry Wood were also seen there recently.
"It's been more than I ever expected," Dempster said. "Aside from all the money we've raised, just the awareness (has improved). There's hospitals testing for it now because of our story coming out and I think that's an amazing
thing. That says a lot about the parents who came before us because where would we be without them? The response has been overwhelming."
Ryan was also able to talk about his daughter. The pitcher was descriptive in explaining Riley’s situation.
"I think one of the biggest things that you have to come to realize with these kids is that it's a syndrome," Dempster said. "Just because she gets through something doesn't mean she's not going to have something else. There are
going to be things we have to be careful with. She's always going to have some immune problems where it's tougher for her to fight off a cold than somebody else. As a whole, she's doing great, she's doing really well."
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