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Anthony Rizzo To Retire In A Jersey Signed By Cancer Patients

September 13, 2025

Anthony Rizzo isn’t just stepping away from baseball. He’s doing it in a way that honors his greatest victory: the fight against cancer, both his own, and that of so many children he’s met over the years.

Julie Fennell on Flickr (CC BY 2.0) / Rizzo on X

Earlier this week, Rizzo, aged 36, announced that he’s retiring from professional baseball. But the jersey he’ll be retiring in isn’t just any uniform — it’s a special one. On X (formerly Twitter), Rizzo shared a photo of a jersey, signed by the many cancer patients his foundation has visited over the years who are battling the disease.

“The jersey I’ll be retiring in… signed by all the patients we have visited over the years who were battling cancer,” he said.

The jersey I’ll be retiring in… signed by all the patients we have visited over the years who were battling cancer. @Cubs @LurieChildrens pic.twitter.com/MHf7ttz2au

— Anthony Rizzo (@ARizzo44) September 12, 2025

This isn’t just a symbolic gesture. For Rizzo, the connection is deeply personal.

When he was 18, he was diagnosed with limited-stage Hodgkin's lymphoma. After undergoing treatment, he went into remission on September 2, 2008, and has stayed cancer-free since.

A Life Beyond Baseball: Giving Back

Rizzo has made it a mission to help those fighting cancer, especially children.

In 2012, he founded the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Its mission: “to provide direct financial and emotional support to children and their families who are battling cancer.”

The foundation doesn’t just write checks. It lifts spirits, too. For example, the Ewoldt family — their young son Chase was diagnosed at age two with aggressive brain and spine cancer and given just six months to live. He survived, and thanks in part to Rizzo’s foundation, the family not only got financial assistance but also emotional encouragement and hope during a period that felt overwhelming.

Another story: 8-year-old Genesis was diagnosed with leukemia after acute hip pain. Her mom, Shashana, struggled to balance caregiving, bills, and everything else. The foundation stepped in, helping with rent, car payments, even phone bills — easing the stress so the family could focus on Genesis’ recovery.

Anthony Rizzo will be remembered as more than a ballplayer. He’ll be remembered for healing, hope, and the countless lives he touched. And that jersey? It’s proof that sometimes what we wear isn’t just for show — it tells a story. A story of survival, compassion, and the power we all have to make someone else’s load a little lighter.