Devlin DeFrancesco is used to driving fast, but on Thursday morning the professional IndyCar driver slowed to catch up with the doctors at a Toronto hospital who saved his life as a baby.
On January 17, 2000, the current number 22 in the world rankings was born 15 weeks premature and weighed less than a kilogram.
Nursed back to health by Sunnybrook Hospital’s DAN Women & Babies Program neonatal medical team, he owes his success on the international racing stage to his work
“I wouldn’t have gotten very far without her. I’m very, very happy to be here,” he told the Canadian press last month.
The 22-year-old driver spent the first four months of his life in an incubator at Toronto Hospital, where he overcame several serious health complications, including a collapsed lung and a severe brain hemorrhage.
Devlin DeFrancesco speaking at Sunnybrook Hospital on July 14, 2022. (CTV News Toronto/Craig Wadman)
Unfortunately, DeFrancesco’s story is not unique.
Of the more than 4,000 babies born through Sunnybrook’s DAN Women & Babies Program, more than 500 babies spend time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
That’s why DeFrancesco and his family created the Racing for the Tiniest Babies fundraiser, which aims to share his story while raising up to $250,000 in donations to the DAN Women & Babies program and NICU -Double dollars.
“I think raising awareness of my story and giving hope to other families in very, very similar situations to mine is a big part of this campaign,” DeFrancesco said.
DeFrancesco spent Thursday morning in the hospital meeting the doctors who saved his life, some of whom remember when Devlin was there as a patient.
The Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport driver also took the time to show off the Sunnybrook branded racing helmet and suit that he will be wearing when he makes his debut at the Honda Indy Toronto this weekend.
Devlin DeFrancesco’s Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport IndyCar car is seen here. (CTV News Toronto/Craig Wadman)
With files from The Canadian Press