DUBUQUE, Iowa -- Major League Baseball has long championed the fight against cancer through things like its Stand Up To Cancer in-game movements, and on Thursday morning, MLB partnered with the MercyOne Hospital to bring cheer and hope to patients at the Cancer Center in Dubuque.
Shortly after baseball and hospital officials -- along with former Major Leaguers A.J. Pierzynski and Nick Swisher -- visited with patients in treatment rooms, MLB surprised two families with tickets to Thursday night's Field of Dreams Game in nearby Dyersville.
The facility, which is just a year old, was the passion project of MercyOne’s Eastern Iowa president Kay Takes. Its bright hallways and lobbies, along with large windows in the treatment rooms that overlook the Mississippi River, evoke a strong sense of peace and relaxation for patients who visit the state-of-the-art building.
“We actually opened our doors on June 1 of 2020, so just at the very beginning of the pandemic, with the goal of carrying out our vision of making sure that all people and their families with a cancer diagnosis have the very best care experience that we can give them,” Takes said.
On Thursday, that experience included meet-and-greets, autographs from and pictures with MLB Commissioner Robert Manfred, Swisher and Pierzynski, patients were also given goody bags with Stand Up To Cancer T-shirts and an official Field of Dreams Game pin.
Swisher, a fan favorite from his Yankees playing days, drew a large crowd of followers to every area he visited. He is well-known for his volunteer efforts, his eternally upbeat attitude and his great stories. Swisher shared many of them as he spoke to each patient, kneeling in front of their treatment chairs as laughter echoed around the floor.
“You guys are absolutely amazing, and what you’re doing here is absolutely fantastic,” Swisher said. “I can’t wait to bring a little joy to this building, bring a little excitement, because at the end of the day, everything that Major League Baseball is doing -- Stand Up To Cancer, the whole thing -- this is what it’s all about, and this doesn’t happen if it’s not for people like you guys right here, grassroots, making everything happen. It is an honor to be here.”
MercyOne Hospital is located about 45 minutes east of Dyersville, home to the filming site of the iconic movie “Field of Dreams,” as well as host of the first MLB game played in Iowa, which will take place at 7 p.m. CT between the White Sox and Yankees. The game will be played in a stadium just beyond the outfield of the movie site, built specifically for Thursday’s game.
“I had the privilege of touring the fields yesterday, both the new and the old, and I have to tell you, as soon as you get out of your car and approach the fields, you get that iconic feeling,” said Bob Ritz, CEO and president of MercyOne. “Needless to say, it took really strong leadership, strong vision and a belief that if you built it, they will come, and he will come. … This Cancer Center kind of stands on the same platform.
“When you think about what sports and healthcare have in common, it’s to create hope for people to have a better future.”
“I can’t say enough about how friendly and welcoming everyone has been, and how excited people are about the first ever Field of Dreams Game,” Commissioner Manfred said. “Given our involvement in this fight [against cancer], we thought it would be a great thing today to come and see the great work that’s being done at the grassroots level, actually dealing with patients every day, and hopefully, with these happy guys, hopefully bring a little cheer to these people and hopefully we’ll see if we can get a couple of patients to go with us to the game tonight.”
Kristi Foxen and Joel Schambow were at the hospital for treatment days but couldn’t resist a photo opportunity in the lobby with MLB and hospital celebrities. It was only then that Commissioner Manfred turned to announce that the two, along with their respective families, would be treated to tickets to the evening’s Field of Dreams Game.
Foxen, a 38-year-old mother of two who is currently battling breast cancer, was joined by her husband, daughter and son, all of whom sported shirts reading “In this family, no one fights alone.”
Schambow, 61, is battling gastric cancer and was joined Thursday by his wife, who is also receiving treatment for breast cancer. As the group gathered for photos, the Schambows’ two sons popped out from around a corner to surprise their parents. Their third son, who’s on his honeymoon, joined the celebration virtually just after the families received their tickets.
“This has been a remarkable experience for all of us here, representing Major League Baseball,” said MLB Network’s Adnan Virk. “We live in unprecedented times right now, we all recognize that we’ve all been challenged in ways that we’ve never been challenged before.
“The level of altruism and selflessness that we’ve seen here, not only here today but in the community of Iowa, has been nothing short of life-affirming.”