Chicago, IL, September 20, 2011 —

In fall 2011, the March of Dimes Illinois Chapter had the privilege of working with the Ryan and Jenny Dempster Family Foundation to spread awareness about a condition that occurs in 1 of 4,000 live births, however public awareness is still low. Pitcher Ryan Dempster’s daughter Riley was born with a condition called 22q11.2 deletion or DiGeorge Syndrome.

According to the Dempster Family Foundation, it is the most frequent cause of syndromic palatal defects and is found in 1 of 68 children born with a heart defect.

An early diagnosis led to a swift plan of action for the Dempsters. Fortunately, daughter Riley is hitting developmental milestones and enjoying life, Ryan says.

To learn more about DiGeorge Syndrome, visit the Dempster Family Foundation site at www.dempsterfoundation.org.

Thanks to our dedicated volunteers and gracious sponsors, March of Dimes has also funded $3.2 million in the past 27 years to find the causes of this chromosal abnormality.

View our PSAs with Ryan here.

Thank you again to Ryan and Jenny Dempster, as well as Comcast Spotlight and Siena Digital, for working with the March of Dimes to see all babies born healthy one day.