DOC’S LEGACY
Family who met Roy Halladay through his ‘Doc’s Box’ program praise his devotion to sick kids ‘in dire need of an escape’
The McFadyen family remembers Roy Halladay for the kindness he showed their family, particularly to Isaac, who has the rare disease MPS VI. Isaac, above left, is shown with his brother, Gabriel, and Halladay after throwing out the first pitch at a Blue Jays game in 2008. “On the field he may have seemed really focused on the game but off the field he was really kind and generous,” Isaac, now 13, told the Star on Wednesday.
“I just don’t want him to be that statistic that he pitched x number of perfect games . . . I think that his true story is his love of making others feel special.” ANDREW MCFADYEN ISAAC’S FATHER
Isaac McFadyen was just five years old when he threw the ceremonial first pitch at a Blue Jays game in 2008. An avid baseball fan, the now 13-year-old knows pitching in the Rogers Centre is something he’ll never forget.
Likewise he’ll remember the man who made it happen — Roy (Doc) Halladay, the beloved former Blue Jays pitcher who died Tuesday at the age of 40 in a plane crash.
Halladay’s accomplishments on the diamond are well known to baseball fans. His generosity off the field is just as memorable to those whose lives he touched.
Halladay used his platform as a famous baseball player to help give young people like Isaac opportunities.
“On the field he may have seemed really focused on the game, but off the field he was really kind and generous also,” Isaac told the Star on Wednesday.
Isaac was diagnosed with the rare enzyme deficiency syndrome MPS VI in 2005, a devastating development that prompted his family to dedicate their lives to trying to find a cure by founding the “Isaac Foundation.” Isaac will continue to battle the progressive disease for the rest of his life, unless a cure is found.
Halladay met Isaac when the boy was very young, and quickly became a champion of their cause.
Halladay kept up a number of community initiatives throughout his time as a Blue Jay between 19982009. He and his wife, Brandy, ran the program “Doc’s Box,” where the couple hosted sick children to watch Toronto games in a private box. He also donated $100,000 per year to the Jays Care foundation as part of his contract with the club.
“It’s always a fun and memorable experience for our patients and their families to have the opportunity to cheer on and meet their sports heroes,” said Karima Karmali, director for the centre for innovation and ex- cellence in child and family-centred care at Sick Kids.
“Roy Halladay was a great friend to Sick Kids and put smiles on many children’s faces. He will be missed.”
Isaac and his family were invited to Doc’s Box in 2008, where they were immediately struck by how warm and welcoming Halladay and his wife were.
“Isaac and (his little brother) Gabriel were treated like all-stars, (Halladay) spent lots of time with them,” Isaac’s dad, Andrew, said. “It just seemed that Isaac and Roy hit it off, and Isaac and Brandy. They really took to him.”
“I think his true legacy is what he left for kids who are in dire need of an escape,” he said.
After their initial meeting, the families stayed in touch, and when Halladay won the George Gross/Toronto Sun sportsperson of the year award for his humanitarian efforts in 2008, he selected the Isaac Foundation as the charity for the $1,000 donation to be made in his name. He also matched the funds out of his own pocket and invited Isaac to throw the first pitch at a game.
“I was a little scared but I was also excited,” Isaac said of that moment. He remembers a video telling the story of his diagnosis going up on the Jumbotron before the game.
At that point, the Isaac Foundation was in its infancy. Determined as they were to find a cure for Isaac, Andrew said the family would have continued to painstakingly raise “a dollar here and a dollar there” through barbeques. But both Roy and Brandy Halladay really helped raise their profile and get their message out.
Now the foundation is well-established and going strong in the fight against rare diseases. They have a fundraising gala coming up this weekend in Cobourg, for example. Andrew said the Halladays were “wonderful people” for the help they gave when they were starting out.
Even after Halladay was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in 2009, he stayed in touched with the McFadyens, inviting them out to a game there in 2010.
Isaac said he was very sad to hear the baseball hero he also considered a friend had passed away, and that he hopes Halladay’s selfless spirit will be remembered.
“I just don’t want him to be that statistic that he pitched x number of perfect games,” Andrew said.
“I think that his true story is his love of making others feel special. Primarily it was kids that were battling critical and life-threatening illnesses.”