Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo has made countless contributions on the field since coming over from the Padres organization in 2012. The three-time all star and 2016 World Champion has made a big difference in people's lives with his charity events and donations over the years, which are aimed at fighting cancer. He founded the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation, a non-profit organization which has made many of his donations possible. Rizzo himself is a cancer survivor and his organization's mission states that the disease is something that is battled by not just the one who is ill, but the entire family, and he bases that on his own experiences.
His latest donation was a very special one to the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago. He came to the hospital on Tuesday morning bearing a giant check for $3,500,000 which was addressed to the hospital with the memo, "Hope 44" which is his number on the back of his jersey. There was a special ceremony for Rizzo and his family to commemorate the donation.
— Anthony Rizzo (@ARizzo44) August 29, 2017
Donation and ceremony
Rizzo announced on Twitter prior to arriving at the hospital that he would be at the Ann & Robert Children's Hospital around 10:30 local time on Tuesday. He also stated that there would be a Q&A with him at the hospital during that time.
He then announced his donation to the public by tweeting the picture of him with the giant check when he arrived at the hospital. The ceremony was broadcasted live on the hospital's Facebook page, and not only was it commemorating his donation, but also dedicating the waiting room it took place in as the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation Waiting Room.
Present at the ceremony with Rizzo were his parents, his fiancee, and, most importantly, many young children who are patients at the hospital. He gave an emotional speech on his goals and experiences as a cancer patient and why he is so passionate about fighting cancer. "This is just a little step to our mission." said Rizzo, "Being able to give back and do this type of work is so much bigger than [winning] the World Series." After his speech was done he posed with a number of children at the hospital for pictures in front of a backdrop that was decorated in Cubs-themed artwork.
Rizzo's past with cancer
It has been Rizzo's goal to fight cancer since he was a victim of it himself roughly a decade ago. Originally drafted by the Boston Red Sox, he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma at the age of 18 back in 2008. He was treated for several months and was eventually cancer-free and able to play baseball again. Current Cubs teammate Jon Lester also battled cancer at a young age and the two first interacted when they were both members of the Red Sox organization from 2007-2010, and Rizzo had someone to look up to and share his experiences with.
The Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation continues to hold charity events to raise money for Cancer Research ranging from things like the annual "Cook-Off for Cancer," "Walk-Off for Cancer," and more.
