August 27, 2010
Mom and 'Pops' inspire first-time Jimmy Fund Fantasy Day hitter
Carl Shapiro with his mother, Renee
Ever since Hall of Famer Ted Williams roamed left field at Fenway Park a half-century ago, the Boston Red Sox have been supporting Dana-Farber's Jimmy Fund. On Aug. 29, a man with unique ties to both Williams and the charity will be among those at Fenway Park for the annual Jimmy Fund Fantasy Day at Fenway.
Carl Shapiro, 54, from Foxboro, Mass., is among those who will get to hit, field, and roam in the historic ballpark in exchange for fundraising for the Jimmy Fund. He will step to home plate and take 15 pitches from a batting machine, with an eye toward smashing one against, or over, the Green Monster left-field wall. This is one of several packages open to fans at the popular annual event.
It is Shapiro's first Fantasy Day experience, and he knows he'll have four folks on his mind. First and foremost is his mother, Renee, who has battled the rare carcinoid cancer disease on and off since 1957 and is now a patient of Dana-Farber's Matthew Kulke, MD. There is his uncle, Irving, who was involved with fundraising for the Jimmy Fund in its earliest days and used to take young Carl and his cousins to Red Sox games. And there is Carl's dad, Leonard, who died of a heart attack when Carl was just 4.
He'll also be thinking about the great Ted Williams, who, during and after his playing days, was a tireless Jimmy Fund advocate. Carl has no blood ties to the Hall of Famer, but he does have a funny tale to share about Ted and his mother that would make any teenage boy proud.
Renee was in a Key West, Fla., restaurant many years ago when she noticed the tall, handsome Williams dining near her. She shared a mutual friend with the slugger, so she wrote out a note and had a waiter pass it on to Williams. He came over and introduced himself, and a lovely conversation ensued. End of story — or so she thought.
This autographed picture of Ted Williams sat on the mantel in the Shapiro's home.
A few weeks later, young Carl was in the hallway at home when the postman arrived with a large envelope for his mom. It was a photo of a dashing man in a white sweater, and it was signed "To Renee: Enjoyed our tableside chat. Hope to see you next year. —Ted Williams."
"She screamed when she opened it," Carl recalls with a laugh. "Then she put the picture right up on the mantel. When I started dating my future wife, she assumed that the photo was of my deceased father. Ever since, we've always referred to Ted as 'Pops.' When Ted passed away on July 5 [2002], the same date my dad had passed away many years prior, it felt like a spiritual moment for my mom, my wife, and myself."
Although he never developed his "Pop's" slugging skills, Carl says he was a decent hitter as a kid who has stayed fresh through playing softball and swinging in the batting cages. He's also sponsored friends in various Jimmy Fund events through the years, so when he got an e-mail from Dana-Farber recently asking if he wanted to "Live out his baseball dreams" at Fantasy Day, he couldn't resist.
Now he is the one fundraising, and his 82-year-old mom — who hopes to be at Fenway cheering him on — couldn't be prouder.
"When Carl told me he was doing this, I got goose bumps; I strongly believe I'm still here because of the treatment and care I receive at Dana-Farber," says Renee. "Dr. Kulke is the best in the world at treating carcinoid, and he and nurse practitioner Robin Sommers have been wonderful to me. You can bet I'll be there cheering Carl on."
— Saul Wisnia
saul_wisnia@dfci.harvard.edu
