THE REASON I LOVE BUCKY DENT

As you may know, I am a runner.  But there is more to it.  I run for those who can't.  Over the last three years, I, along with many supporters, have raised more than $5,000 for charities like Achilles International, Special Olympics New Jersey and more recently, Best Buddies of Illinois.  I have touched a number of lives through making the conscious choice to get fit, get out there and run.

A few months ago, I put in a Facebook friend request to my favorite Yankee and girlhood crush, Bucky Dent.  I have followed his post-MLB career over the past several years and most recently his charity work with Legends on the Links and Embraced With Love.  As you may have read on our site on Monday in PRAYERS FOR BUCKY DENT NOW MORE THAN EVER, Marianne Lynn Dent, Bucky's beloved wife of more than 30 years, passed away on October 22nd after a courageous 19 month fight against cancer.

 "I just want to thank everyone for all your kind words. She was such a beautiful lady inside and out. Over the last 19 months she fought a very hard battle with a joyful heart. Her strong faith and her great family and friends was what kept her going. We find comfort in knowing that she went home to be with the Lord. She was my Angel here and we will all miss her dearly," posted Bucky on his Facebook page a day after his wife Marianne passed.

Dent's wife was diagnosed with Stage 4 brain cancer back in early 2014.  According to Bucky Dent's website, "Her strong faith, devoted and loving family, close friends and enormous heart enabled her to view her cancer as God’s plan for her to make a difference in the lives of others and leave a lasting imprint."

With its mission to financially support non-profit organizations and athletic organizations that give back to their community, Legends on the Links hold a number of events and sports clinics for organizations that "develop character, discipline and teamwork." It is through Legends on the Links, that Bucky's wife, envisioned and created “Embraced With Love,” which "provides cancer patients with blankets and pillows to help them feel more comfortable during their chemotherapy treatments as they navigate through their own personal journey with cancer. To date, Legends on the Links has given more than 100 blankets and pillows to cancer patients in treatment centers in South Florida."

Athletic careers only last for a short time, but our impact on the community can last a lifetime.  I will run for as long as I can and I can imagine Bucky Dent will continue to give back to his community of fans and young people for as long as he can.  "For the last 30 years, Legends on the Links has run charity baseball clinics for youth players and golf tournaments with well-known celebrity guests to provide funds and support for various need based baseball related organizations and scholarships for athletes who have exemplified the utmost character, discipline and teamwork."

It is my honor to love him as a kid and be equally impressed by his generosity and compassion for others as an adult.  According to Dent and his family, those who wish to support Embraced With Love or Legends on the Links are asked to "join us in celebrating Marianne’s life and honoring her desire to continue to make a difference in the lives of others. All checks are to be made payable to: Embraced with Love, 3614 Lowson Blvd, Delray Beach, FL 33445."  

It is with a grateful heart that I run the New York City Marathon this weekend with an Achilles International athlete named Joe who is blind.  I will also carry people like Marianne and Bucky in my heart through the streets of New York for 26.2.

--Suzie Pinstripe, BYB Senior Staff Writer
BYB Hot Stove Columnist
Twitter: @suzieprof




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