MEMPHIS (WXYZ) — Dwane Casey proudly wears a St. Jude lapel pin every game.
You don’t have to look very hard to see it, as he wears it home or away, during moments of serenity and those a bit more turbulent.
St. Jude clearly means a great deal to the Pistons head coach, as he ensures that his lapel pin is predominately placed, and as the Pistons visited the place it was born in Memphis last night, for the first time, he told us why.
“When I was a little boy my grand father used to send money each month to a hospital in Tennessee and I never knew,” Pistons head coach Dwane Casey said as he fought back tears. “I never knew who he was sending money to until I got older.”
Since then, Casey has made it a mission to spread the word of St. Jude mission to end childhood cancer.
He’s now passing on that passion to his current players, as he made it a point to spend time with current patients at the hospital during this one a year trip to Memphis.
“Every opportunity I’ve had to come here and be apart and bring a team here to see kids and see families, see what they’re going through, it’s been a lot, so my heart and soul is with St. Jude,” Casey added.
“It means something to put a smile on peoples faces here in St. Jude, it feels amazing to be here for me, to be able to give back. People understand what it means when you’re in a tough situation, if you can brighten somebody else’s day just a little bit, that means a lot.” Pistons forward Thon Maker added.
