Eric Stonestreet on why Big Slick was bittersweet this year — and so important
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2024 Big Slick Celebrity Weekend
Paul Rudd, Jason Sudeikis, Heidi Gardner, Eric Stonestreet and Rob Riggle are back with a slew of celebrity friends for their Big Slick fundraiser for Children’s Mercy.
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Royals fans who watched the Big Slick softball game at Kauffman Stadium on Friday afternoon undoubtedly tried to identify the celebrities who were playing.
All of the stars on hand were in Royals jerseys (blue and white), including Emmy Award winning actor Eric Stonestreet. But Stonestreet’s last name wasn’t on his white No. 19 jersey.
Instead, the name was Isabelle.
Stonestreet, who is one of the Big Slick co-hosts, did that in honor of Isabelle Sears. Earlier this year, my colleague Lisa Gutierrez wrote about Sears, who as a 5-year-old had a tumor removed from her brain at Children’s Mercy.
Unfortunately, the cancer returned while Sears was at college. Stonestreet wrote in an Instagram post that Isabelle died.
“Another @bigslickkc in the books. Almost 4 million raised this year and over 25 million in the last 15 years for @childrensmercy,” wrote Stonestreet, who grew up in Kansas City, Kansas, and later attended Kansas State University.
“Those are big numbers and they wouldn’t be possible without the great people of Kansas City showing up for the kids and families that find themselves dealing with the brutal reality of pediatric cancer. And while we love to celebrate the wins, and there are many to celebrate, we must also acknowledge the losses.
“We lost our friend Isabelle last week. Just before the big weekend.
“Her loss is what keeps the doctors, researchers, and the kind and giving people that fund them motivated. Motivated to help manage cancer, and someday help cure cancer.”
This story was originally published June 4, 2024 at 10:18 AM.
