Rally At Fenway: Fundraiser For Carver Resident Dan Grimes Raises Money And Hope

Posted on: August 6, 2014

Source: Wicked Local Brookline

Historic Fenway Park regularly fills up with fans, but on this day the fans were cheering for Dan Grimes.

CARVER – Historic Fenway Park regularly fills up with fans, but on this day the fans were cheering for Dan Grimes.

They were cheering for the 42-year-old Carver resident battling stage four lung cancer with a little help from his friends.

Those friends included R&B star Ne-Yo and singer-songwriter Natasha Bedingfield, New York Giants Super Bowl champions Michael Strahan and Tiki Barber, Boston Bruins play-by-play announcer Jack Edwards and more than 1,000 donors to the CareOne Cancer Fund in Honor of Dan Grimes.

Grimes stood to walk the red carpet for the presentation of a $1.3 million check in his name. He stood on the stage inside Fenway Park – where else for a big Boston Red Sox fan – to say thank you to everyone cheering him on. He stood as a man and a symbol of hope.

“I just want to say from the bottom of my heart thank you so much for this outpouring from the community, from Daniel and Lizzie, from HealthBridge, from Sharon, from my brother, he’s been unbelieveable,” Grimes said. “Thank you all so so much.”

His brother, Andrew, also shared a heartfelt letter Dan wrote to show his appreciation to the Straus family and his supporters. In it, he vows to fight and beat the cancer. As Andrew read, Dan joined him on stage.

“As most of you know, I am very competitive by nature and for me, failure is not an option,” Dan wrote. “When I beat this, it will be so much more gratifying.”

It gives him great satisfaction, he wrote, to be part of something that will benefit many others for years to come. He has been inspired and touched, he said, by the tribute at Fenway Park.

Grimes’ family members, both at home and at work, have rallied around him. CareOne Management founder, chairman and CEO Daniel Straus and his daughter, CareOne Executive Vice President Elizabeth Straus, run a family business, and they consider Grimes family.

Daniel Straus learned of Grimes’ illness through his daughter, who works closely with Grimes, the Southeastern Massachusetts regional director of operations for HealthBridge Management, a subsidiary of CareOne.

After the initial shock, Straus said, his daughter shared her idea to start the fund to take care of one of their very valued employees and executives. He said it’s part of the culture of their company to do what they can to support their employees.

“We’re a company where we have thousands of employees that take care of thousands of sick people every day and they also take care of each other,” he said. “Care is across the board. Caring people are caring.”