Anthony Rizzo Hosts Annual Walk-Off For Cancer In Florida
PARKLAND, Fla. (CBS) -- Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo this offseason is back home in Florida, where he hosted the 8th Annual Walk-Off for Cancer in his native Parkland.
More than 1,200 people participated in the walk at Pine Trails Park in Parkland, Florida, helping raise $1.3 million.
At the event, Rizzo and his family foundation also presented a $1 million check to the Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital Foundation, which will help families affected by a child's cancer diagnosis and treatment. The University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center was also a beneficiary.
"When my family and I started the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation eight years ago, it was our dream to help as many families as we could battling pediatric cancer. Today, that dream has become a reality," Rizzo said in a news release. "I am excited our foundation will continue to support Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital by giving a million-dollar endowment to assist more South Florida families. With this forever fund, we will be able to help patients to stay strong and dream big."
Rizzo himself was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma in 2008, just as he was starting his professional baseball career. He spent six months undergoing chemotherapy before learning he was in remission.
In 2012, Rizzo started the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation – which provides time, money and assistance to help find a cure for many forms of cancer.
