SEAPORT SNEAK-PEEK
Patrick Dempsey talks cancer at screening of ‘The Art of Racing in the Rain’
Patrick Dempsey walked the red carpet with purpose at a special screening of “The Art of Racing in the Rain” at the Institute of Contemporary Art. And while the Seaport event provided a sneak-peek of the flick before it hits theaters this weekend, it also served as a fundraiser for the Dempsey
Center and its efforts to support cancer patients — much like one of the main storylines appearing in the movie.
“I think everybody has been impacted by cancer,” said Dempsey, who produced the film. “How you overcome that and what it does to a family dynamic — it’s all very much what the film is about.”
The movie, which is based on Garth Stein’s 2008 bestselling novel of the same title, follows race-car driver Denny Swift as he navigates all of the bends and curves life’s track lays before him. The story is told from the perspective of his wise pup, Enzo, who tells of his owner meeting and marrying Eve, whose terminal cancer diagnosis leaves her husband and their daughter, Zoe, gripping the wheel.
Dempsey founded The Dempsey Center in his hometown of Lewiston, Maine, and has expanded it to South Portland. The “Grey’s Anatomy” alum wanted to bring the movie to Boston for this week’s exclusive preview to spread awareness of the organization’s work, all done in memory of his late mother,
Amanda, who passed from ovarian cancer in 2014.
“My mother was treated at Mass General. She was also treated at Dartmouth, and a lot of people from Maine come down here (for treatment),” Dempsey said. “This is a community that is very important to me. … It was an opportunity to bring everyone together.”
“We have a lot of inspiration coming out of this city,” he added. “And at some point, we’ll have a center here, I think, because there are so many people coming down (from Maine for treatment).”
Specifically, he wants folks here in the Hub to know the center is there for them, providing free services to cancer patients, including counseling, holistic therapies like reiki, acupuncture and massage, as well as support groups for family members.
“We don’t treat the disease, we treat the person,” Dempsey said. “It’s a compliment to what the doctor is doing, and we’re seeing the benefits of that.”
“I grew up in this area also,” he continued. “I was walking around today and I just love being in New England. Boston has changed so much, in a positive way. And it’s great to come back and experience it. These are my roots. My roots are here.”