Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen — joined by his sons Charlie, John, Teddy and Sam — and team president Derrick Hall presented a $200,000 donation to the Ivy Brain Tumor Center ahead of Friday’s game against the Boston Red Sox.
The presentation was on behalf of the Nicole Hazen Fund for Hope to benefit the fight against brain cancer for Brain Tumor Awareness Month.
Nicole Hazen, Mike’s wife, died in August after her battle with glioblastoma. The fund in her name was set up to help patients access treatment and support.
The $200,000 donation was matched by The Women’s Board of Barrow Neurological Foundation for a total of $400,000.
“Nicole and I created the Nicole Hazen Fund for Hope to give others fighting glioblastoma access to the Ivy Center’s innovative therapies and state-of-the-art treatments,” Mike Hazen said in a press release.
“The hope is through continued funding of the cutting-edge research the center is doing, that we can get closer to a cure for this aggressive and treatment-resistant disease and keep Nicole’s legacy alive. My family and I are incredibly thankful for the matching donation from The Women’s Board of Barrow.”
The presentation was made with Dr. Nader Sanai, the chief of neurosurgical oncology at Barrow Neurological Institute and director of the Ivy Brain Tumor Center, who threw out the first pitch.
D-backs players wore shirts to honor the Nicole Hazen Fund for Hope during pregame warmups, and the team’s 50/50 raffle during the game was set to benefit the Ivy Brain Tumor Center.
#Dbacks players sporting shirts in honor of Nicole Hazen during practice this afternoon.
You can join us in supporting #braintumorawareness by purchasing #DbacksGiveBack 50/50 raffle tickets now at https://t.co/kW7VHd5CFG
Proceeds benefit @IvyBrainTumCtr pic.twitter.com/KxLLKPY9PN
— D-backs Give Back (@DbacksGiveBack) May 27, 2023
The 50/50 raffle eclipsed $50,000 by the fifth inning.
“We are honored to have the continued support of the Nicole Hazen Fund for Hope, the Women’s Board and the Rick Oehme Foundation. Each of these parties has been directly impacted by brain cancer and we, at the Ivy Center, are inspired by their commitment to find a cure,” Sanai said.