Toronto hospital welcomes former patient turned IndyCar driver
Devlin DeFrancesco is used to going quick, however on Thursday morning, the skilled IndyCar driver slowed issues right down to meet up with the docs at a Toronto hospital who saved his life as a child.
On Jan. 17, 2000, the world’s now quantity 22 ranked driver was born 15 weeks early and weighed lower than one kilogram.
He was nursed again to well being by the neonatal medical staff at Sunnybrook Hospital’s DAN Girls & Infants Program and credit their work for the success he has skilled on the worldwide racing stage
“With out them, I would not have made it very far. I am very, very fortunate to be round,” he instructed the Canadian Press final month.
The 22-year-old driver would go on to spend the primary 4 months of his life in an incubator on the Toronto hospital, the place he overcame a number of vital well being issues, together with a collapsed lung and a critical mind bleed.
Devlin DeFrancesco speaks at Sunnybrook Hospital on July 14, 2022. (CTV Information Toronto/Craig Wadman)
DeFrancesco’s story is sadly not distinctive.
Of the greater than 4,000 infants born by way of Sunnybrook’s DAN Girls & Infants Program, greater than 500 infants spend time within the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
Due to that, DeFrancesco and his household launched the Racing for the Tiniest Babies fundraiser, which goals to share his story whereas additionally matching donations to the DAN Girls & Infants Program and neonatal intensive care unit as much as $250,000.
“I feel elevating consciousness about my story and giving hope to different households in very, very comparable conditions to what I used to be in is a big a part of this marketing campaign,” DeFrancesco stated.
DeFrancesco spent Thursday morning on the hospital, assembly the docs who saved his life, a few of whom bear in mind when Devlin was there as a affected person.
The Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport driver additionally took time to showcase the Sunnybrook-branded racing helmet and swimsuit he’ll put on when he makes his Honda Indy Toronto debut this weekend.
Devlin DeFrancesco’s Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport IndyCar car is seen right here. (CTV Information Toronto/Craig Wadman)
With recordsdata from The Canadian Press
