Special Story on Bucky Dent – in the April Issue of Yankees Magazine

March 31, 2016

March 31, 2016 – Earlier this month, I spent a day with former Yankees shortstop Bucky Dent, to document a very moving story for the April Issue of Yankees Magazine.

Last October, Dent’s wife of more than three decades — and the mother of his twin children, Cody and Caitlin, who were born in 1991 — passed away. Marianne Dent had been diagnosed with brain cancer 19 months prior to her death, and she fought the illness in a most courageous way.

Soon after Marianne was diagnosed, she began undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatments. During one of the first chemotherapy sessions that she went to, nearby her home in South Florida, Marianne came to the realization that most of the patients she shared the room with —including herself — were uncomfortably cold during the treatment.

With that in mind, Marianne purchased blankets for everyone who was receiving treatment at the same time she was. Marianne would soon find out that the selfless gesture meant much more to the patients than she could have ever imagined.

Inspired by the reaction from the patients, the Dents began to raise money through their already-established Legends on the Links not-for-profit to purchase larger quantities of blankets. They continued to distribute them at the cancer center Marianne was getting treated at, and they began to expand their reach to other facilities in South Florida.

Within a few months, the Dents teamed up with a manufacturer who designed a logo for blankets and also made clear bags for them to be easily transported in.

Since Marianne passed away, Bucky Dent has honored her legacy by continuing to raise money to purchase blankets and by personally distributing the blankets to cancer patients in Florida.

In early March, Dent brought his good will efforts north for the first time. A day after he participated in a charity event, which raised $14,000 for the purchase of blankets, the iconic Yankee delivered blankets to two hospitals in Rockland County, New York.

I had the privilege of shadowing Dent for the entire day, beginning at Nyack Hospital that morning. At the first stop of the day, Dent spent time with several people, who were being treated for cancer. Besides giving them each a blanket, Dent also gave them encouragement through his words.

After Dent’s visit to Nyack Hospital and before making his way to Good Samaritan Hospital a few towns away, we sat down for lunch at Il Fresco restaurant in nearby Orangeburg (see photo below). There, he spoke candidly with me about Marianne for the feature story.

“Marianne wanted each cancer patient to feel more comfortable during their treatments,” Dent said. “She wanted them to feel as if they were wrapped in love, comfort and support. Instead of saying, ‘Why me,’ she said, ‘Thank God it’s me, because this is what I’m supposed to do.’ This is what she believed was her legacy.”

In addition to the discussion that focused on the last few years of Marianne’s life, Dent also shared some fonder memories, including one about the day they met each other (which did not make it into the Yankees Magazine story because of space considerations).

“I met Marianne on a flight during the 1981 season,” Dent said. “I tore a ligament in my hand that August, and it was in a cast. I was flying back down to Fort Lauderdale, and they had me in the middle seat. I was afraid that someone was going to bump into my arm, so I asked the flight attendant if I could move. She said, ‘Just go to the back of plane and grab a seat there.’ I sat down and put my head down. When I looked up, Marianne, who was also a flight attendant, was pointing at me. After the flight took off, she came over to me and said, ‘I’m sorry I pointed at you, but someone told me that you were Bucky Dent. I don’t know who Bucky Dent is, but I know you’re famous. When they told me where you were sitting, I pointed at you.’”

Before he got off the plane, Dent initiated a second conversation with his future wife.

“As I was getting off the plane, I stopped to talk to her,” he said. “She told me that her parents lived in Ringwood, New Jersey, and that was right near where I was living. I asked her for her phone number but she told me that she didn’t like giving it out. Eventually, I got her to give me her number. When I got off the plane, my friend who was picking me up at the airport, asked me what took so long for me to get to him, and I remember telling him, ‘I had to get this girl’s number.’”

To read the entire feature, grab your copy of the April Issue of Yankees Magazine. This edition will be on sale on April 4.

–Alfred Santasiere III

 

Written by Alfred Santasiere III Posted in Uncategorized