BROOKLINE – About 300 people came together late on the morning of Saturday, May 18, at Captain Samuel Douglas Academy to run and raise money for the Hemispherectomy Foundation.

There were numerous runners, walkers and volunteers ready to make the second annual Dashing for Dante a success.

This year’s event grew with different events, including a raffle, bake sale, ice cream and hot dogs. About $7,000 was raised this year to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Dante Bergskaug’s hemispherectomy, a surgical procedure in which an entire hemisphere of the brain is removed.

Dante is a 10-year-old boy from Brookline. He was born on Dec. 23, 2002. Immediately after birth, Dante began to experience frequent and uncontrollable seizures. He was soon diagnosed with hemimegalencephaly, a rare disorder characterized by the enlargement and malformation of an entire cerebral hemisphere of the brain.

The prognosis for those diagnosed with HME is poor, and the Bergskaug family was given little hope for Dante’s future.

At just 4 months of age, Dante underwent a drastic, 12-hour hemispherectomy to remove the right half of his brain. This week marks the 10th anniversary of this procedure. He is currently living seizure free and enjoying the fourth grade at Melmark New England in Andover, Mass.

The Hemispherectomy Foundation was founded to provide emotional, financial and educational support to individuals and their families who have undergone, or will undergo, a hemispherectomy. The foundation provides help in many ways, such as college scholarships, trade school scholarships, camp fees, life-aid equipment and travel expenses.

The foundation is also dedicated to hemispherectomy education, awareness, fundraising and research of the medical conditions causing intractable epilepsy that lead to surgery.

The Hemispherectomy Foundation’s Dreams on Wings Charity 5K is an event in which individual races occur simultaneously across the globe. Runners, walkers, strollers and wheelers came out to Brookline to raise money for the foundation in Dante’s name.

The event was such an incredible success last year, Gina Bergskaug was determined to make it happen again. Dante’s family was once again overwhelmed when about 250 runners and walkers lined up for the start of the race.

Police Chief Bill Quigley and Wes Whittier of the Brookline Ambulance enthusiastically agreed to help with organizing the safety logistics. The Brookline Emergency Response Team worked for hours on the day of the race providing ambulance support and traffic assistants.

These local businesses sponsored the event: Absolute Mechanical, Panera Bread, Dr. Davis Ice Cream, TC’s Cuts and Stop & Shop.

Members of the community came together to make Dashing for Dante incredibly successful once again. The Hollis Brookline High School football team’s presence was felt as they raced to support their coach’s son. A large group of faculty and students from Souhegan High School supported the event, too.

Dante’s family, therapists (both past and present), teachers and friends were all there, as was his epileptologist from Children’s Hospital Boston, who came with her family again.

For more information on the Hemispherectomy Foundation, visit www.hemifoundation.org.

Newsletter