In remembrance of their son Brooks, who passed away five years ago this week, Rich Hill and his wife Caitlin launched “Field of Genes,” a campaign to support Massachusetts General Hospital for Children in their research of rare genetic diseases.
The Hills began their effort on Feb. 28 — known as Rare Disease Day. As of this publication, the fundraising had generated over $600,000, making steady progress toward reaching the $1 million goal. Caitlin and Rich jumpstarted it with a $575,000 donation.
Their efforts is with the hop of making an impact with Dr. David Sweetser, MD, PhD, of MassGeneral Hospital for Children, who tirelessly worked to help the family identify the disorder that tragically took Brooks’ life.
As chief of Medical Genetics and Metabolism at Mass General Hospital, Dr. Sweetser leads a team of clinical geneticists, genetic counselors, computational biologists and researchers. Several families have turned to Dr. Sweetser’s team in the five years since the Hills lost their son.
Several of Hill’s Los Angeles Dodgers teammates shared information on the “Field of Genes” campaign through their own social media channels and donated to his cause.
To pledge and for more information on the campaign, visit www.fieldofgenes.org and follow on Instagram @FieldofGenes.