Anthony Rizzo's charitable contributions and involvement with pediatric cancer patients earned him baseball's coveted Roberto Clemente Award for 2017.
The award, named after the Pirates' Hall of Fame outfielder, is presented annually to the Major League Baseball player who best represents the game through "extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions" on and off the field.
A survivor of Hodgkin lymphoma early in his professional career, Rizzo, 28, created the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation to support children battling cancer and their families, as well as to fund cancer research.
"Obviously with what Roberto did, he kind of set the bar for all athletes, especially baseball players, in all of his charitable work, everything he did giving back," Rizzo said. "To be a part of this award and (included among) all the past winners, it's insane to see where our foundation has come from and so humbled to be part of this."
Rizzo is the third Cubs player to receive the award, following Rick Sutcliffe (1987) and Sammy Sosa (1998), and the first from Chicago since White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko was a co-winner in 2014.
Rizzo thanked Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts for "setting the tone" for players to get involved in charitable endeavors. His foundation committed more than $4 million in 2017 alone to establish the Hope 44 program at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, and he has been a fixture there over the last five years visiting with children battling the disease.
Rizzo is also involved with cancer centers at the University of Miami Health System and the Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital in Hollywood, Fla., as well as with Gilda's Club Chicago.
At Lurie's, Rizzo frequently visits the children in the infusion center where they receive chemotherapy. Allison Paresi, a registered nurse in the oncology unit, said Rizzo's visits are important for young patients as they go through treatments.
"Truly what Anthony gives to these kids is inspiration," Paresi said. "Inspiration knowing that he was in their shoes, literally, not that many years ago, and how he and his family got through it. He was able to overcome it and survive, and now he's a professional baseball player thriving in his career and in his life.
"And he's really a real guy. He comes in here and he gets down with the youngest of kids. He holds the little kids, shakes hands and has heartfelt conversations with the older teenagers. Some of my patients who play baseball, they can relate to him, and some are the same age he was when he went through his treatment."
Rizzo remembers how he felt in 2008 when he was diagnosed with cancer while playing for Class-A Greenville in the Red Sox system. He knows what it means to stay positive for your family and said going to visit kids battling cancer helps keep him motivated.
"You see the looks on the kids' faces, and the families, and it's a couple of seconds away from the reality of what they're going through when I go in there and just help them out," he said. "I keep doing it because I just remember when I was sick and seeing my parents suffer way more than I did. I just saw the looks on their faces, and I always wanted to make sure (they knew) I was OK.
"So when I go see these kids, I try to tell them all the time, 'Be strong with your family,' and then talk to the parents. A couple of minutes away from reality is just insane."
Recently a young girl named Mia, whom he had gotten to know at Lurie's, died. Rizzo posted photos of them together on social media, calling her a "warrior."
"You have lives you're saving and really helping, and when you lose some, it's not easy to deal with," he said of Mia.
Paresi said Rizzo's involvement with Mia and her family was something that wouldn't be forgotten.
"She was a well-loved little girl from a well-loved family, and he touched their life as I know she touched his life," Paresi said. "What he did to make her laugh, the fun little things he's done with her family, they now have as a treasured memory.
"When you're grieving, we all have to hold onto our memories to comfort us, and I think that's what he's brought to these families."
During a road trip to Pittsburgh in September, Rizzo went to the Clemente Museum and said he was "blown away" learning about the humanitarian efforts of the Pirates' great. Vera Clemente, Roberto's widow, said Rizzo's story as a cancer survivor has an impact on children battling the disease, adding Rizzo and Roberto were kindred spirits.
"Roberto loved putting smiles on the faces of every child he met," she said. "And what Anthony continues to do is very much in the same spirit."
Rizzo doesn't just walk the walk; he's fully committed to the fight against cancer. He wants the kids to feel he's a friend, not just a famous athlete.
"For Anthony to give back, he doesn't have to do this, but he chooses to do this," Paresi said. "And he's not just giving his money, he's giving his time. He comes without (the media attention), and has gotten to know a lot of the kids pretty well.
"He'll celebrate when good things happen and also grieve when something unfortunate happens, and that's the reality of cancer."
During his early days with the Cubs, Rizzo kept an autographed photo of Ernie Banks and him inside his locker. Banks signed the photo with the words "Dream big."
Now Rizzo's catchphrase to the children and families he meets is: "Stay strong and dream big."
Rizzo understands his status as a professional athlete comes with an unwritten responsibility to use that celebrity to help others in need. Baseball is his career, not his life.
Influencing the lives of children is as important to Rizzo as anything else he accomplishes in his career, which already includes a championship ring, a Gold Glove award, a Silver Slugger award and three All-Star Game appearances.
"Baseball is my passion," he said. "I love playing baseball. I want to be the best I can be. But to be able to reach out and help so many more people on a different level is something I'd never overlook.
"Baseball awards are amazing. I work my tail off to be the best, but to be able to be a part of this type of award is something I can't even imagine."
