Royals star, Naperville Central grad Nicky Lopez comes home to raise money in memory of fallen friend
Nicky Lopez isn't able to come home often, but he makes it count when he does.
The Kansas City Royals shortstop and Naperville Central High School graduate is in town this week to honor a fallen friend and raise money for a worthy cause. He'll be signing autographs Monday night at Dean's Dugout, with all ticket proceeds going to the Justin Wegner Foundation.
Wegner, who died in 2019 at the age of 22 from a rare form of cancer, was a classmate at Naperville Central who played football and baseball. Even though Wegner was two years younger, Lopez got to know him after nominating Wegner to be a representative in the prestigious J. Kyle Braid Leadership Foundation.
The two became closer after Wegner's diagnosis of desmoplastic small round cell tumor sarcoma, a cancer found in the abdomen and pelvic area of the body. Since Wegner's passing, Lopez has done his best to keep his legacy alive.
Lopez even had special cleats made for a Royals game with the #JWEGSTRONG message inscribed on them.
“He was an unbelievable kid, comes from a great family,” Lopez said. “Great work ethic, good teammate, good classmate. He was one of those people who was hard not to like.”
Wegner's parents, Cathy and Ed, are grateful to Lopez and his efforts to help the foundation they created. On Monday, though, all they really want to do is give Lopez a big hug.
Lopez enjoyed a breakout season this year for the Royals, batting .300 and playing near-flawless defense despite not receiving Gold Glove consideration. But no matter what Lopez accomplishes in the big leagues, he's still just “Nicky” to the Wegners.
“I'll be focused on just chatting with Nicky, giving him a big hug, and his parents,” Ed Wegner said. “And just talking with everyone in line who came out to support Nicky and Justin.”
Monday's event at Dean's Dugout, 2035 South Washington St., Suite 155 in Naperville, will take place from 6:30 to 8 p.m. But Lopez said he'll stay as long as it takes to sign as many autographs as possible. An autograph costs $25, but a $30 upgraded ticket will win entry into a raffle for signed game-used Lopez gear. Raffle tickets also are on sale for $10 to win game-used gear.
It's the latest effort by Lopez to bring money and awareness to the Justin Wegner Foundation. In the past, he's auctioned uniforms, hats, cleats and all kinds of merchandise.
“It certainly makes us happy that there's so many people that cared about Justin,” Cathy Wegner said. “And they're so willing to help us move forward with how we want to support certain organizations. It's heartwarming.”
According to Cathy and Ed Wegner, through various fundraising efforts, the Justin Wegner Foundation has raised more than $50,000. The money goes to scholarships and awards at Naperville Central and Justin's college, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, as well as gifts on Feb. 11 — Justin's birthday — for children at Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago.
More important, though, is the money that goes to Dr. David Waterhouse and Lurie Hospital to pay for children's cancer research. And more important than that is the money donated to Dr. Andrea Hayes-Jordan at the University of North Carolina.
Hayes-Jordan was Wegner's doctor, and she's one of the few people in the country specializing in research of DSRCT cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute, only about 200 cases of DSRCT have been recorded since the cancer was first described in 1989. DSRCT has a five-year survival rate of about 15%.
Despite the long odds, Lopez is ready to do what he can for the cause.
“It's a no-brainer for me,” Lopez said. “I'm given this platform to not only perform at the highest level but also to help people wherever I can.”