Thousands turn out for Ron Santo Walk in Lisle
For Brian Wanshek, Sunday's gathering at Community Park in Lisle was a sort of personal therapy for his family.
"We did this last year, too; It's our own support group," the Elburn man said as he joined 6,000 people for the 30th annual Ron Santo Walk to Cure Diabetes.
Wanshek's six-year-old son, Brady, was diagnosed with diabetes last year. Just a month before the walk. Wanshek rallied a handful of people to raise money for the event and walk with them.
On Sunday, about 60 friends and family members walked the two-mile route in Lisle, wearing purple shirts emblazoned with "Brady's Bunch."
"We took Brady to his first Northwestern football game two weeks ago, so he chose the color," Wanshek said.
Besides Community Park, this year's walk was held at four other locations: Centennial Park in south suburban Orland Park, Busse Woods in Schaumburg, Independence Grove in Libertyville and along the Chicago lakefront. Organizers said the Lisle site alone raised about $1.3 million for diabetes research. All five sites raised a combined $6.1 million.
Much of that money came in large chunks from families who have experienced the effects of diabetes firsthand.
Wanshek said his team raised roughly $6,000 this year.
Kristen Gorski's team, the "Go Go Gorski Gang," raised more than $9,000 last year alone from a team of 60 people. Sunday was her third year participating in the annual walk, and she was expecting a similar amount.
"It's all for a good cause," the Batavia woman said. "I'm actually a White Sox fan, so I hear the comments. But it's all in good fun."
Gorski and her family began attending the annual walks shortly after her five-year-old son, Jake, was diagnosed with diabetes.
For Dominick Ligreci, Sunday's walk was his way of doing his part in making sure his five-year-old son, Anthony, has a chance of seeing a cure for diabetes found within his lifetime.
"As a parent you're expected to fix things," Ligreci said. "This is our way of making us feel like we're fixing the problem."