Cancer has a new nemesis
Rice rugby takes up cause of pediatric disease
By Dave Surico
Brother Rice rugby combined a big night with a big cause Friday night in Chicago. And both the children from the Keyser Family Pediatric Cancer Center and program came away big winners.
Rice took both the Tier 1 and B side games against Naperville, but more importantly raised approximately $1,500 for the center and started what coach Brian Gilmartin hopes will be a longstanding realtionship with Keyser and kids with cancer.
"I got the idea from an HBO Real Sports story on the Northwestern women's lacrosse team," he said. "They 'adopted' a girl with brain cancer.
"I thought we could do that. But instead of taking one child, (we offered it to) them all. I've been wanting to do something for the hospital. It was Friday night, a big game. I knew it would be a good contest. I knew the guys would be excited to play."
Four children under the care of the Keyser center at Hope Children's Hospital in Oak Lawn came to the game. Six-year-olds Katelyn and Anthony, 10-year-old Alex and 11-year-old Sami were on hand to take part in the festivities. They participated in the opening coin toss, and the quartet took turns taking a new ball out for the scrums in the first half. The P.A. announcer read facts about them while the players and an enthusiastic crowd of more than 200 people gave them applause and ovations.
"I'm having fun. This is my first rugby game," said 11-year-old Sami, who wore a stocking cap that matched her light blue "Rice Rugby for Hope" t-shirt. "I thought about playing, but after seeing how they play I'm not so sure."
Six-year-old Katelyn and her family thoroughly enjoyed the event.
"We think this is wonderful. It's a very unique type of fundraiser," said mom Maureen. "The kids feel so special."
The athletic Katelyn looked invigorated by the energy at the event. She sprinted out and back from the scrums and asked her dad Jim to time her as she ran on the track between the field and the grandstand.
"As I see Katelyn run out there, her diagnosis hasn't kept her down," said Jim as he worked the timer on his watch.
Patti Spengel, a nurse at Christ Hospital, helped coordinate the event.
"We going to keep track of the kids in treatment and out of treatment. We want to keep in touch with their families," said Spengel, whose sons David and Stephen play rugby at Rice. "We're going to send a few boys out if they are hospitalized or to their homes if they're just not feeling well.
"It (rugby) is an aggressive sport and cancer is an aggressive disease. He (coach Gilmartin) wants the children to know they're not only supported tonight, but throughout the year and years to come."
Gilmartin was beaming after the event.
"I'm hoping that a bond will form between the kids on the team and the kids in the hospital," he said. "I hope that it's a relationship that stands up."
