BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP OCTOBER 6 - OCTOBER 12, 2017 43
Local family's foundation makes major
breakthrough in curing son's disease
Photo courtesy of Susan Eaton
Cyclone alums shine at Sterling Awards
BY JIM DOLAN
On September 27 in a pre-game
ceremony at Citi Field, the New
York Mets announced their
2017 Sterling Award winners for their
top minor league performers at the
organization’s various levels.
In particular, the Cyclones class of
2014 was well represented by three
Brooklyn alums who came from the
same team that produced 2017 New
York Met All Star Michael Conforto,
who was also a 2015 Sterling Award
winner.
From that 2014 Cyclones team, Corey
Oswalt brought home the major
honor of the evening as the Sterling
Organizational Player of the Year for
his 12-5 record with a league leading
2.28 ERA along with 119 strikeouts at
Double-A Binghamton.
In addition to the Sterling Award,
Oswalt was an Eastern League All
Star and was named the 2017 Eastern
League Pitcher of the Year.
The next winner from the Class
of 2014 was shortstop Amed Rosario
who was already playing for the
Mets after his August call-up from
Triple-A Las Vegas. While playing
for Las Vegas, Rosario was one of
the Pacific Coast League’s top batters
hitting .328 and was named to the
PCL All Star Team.
The last winner from the Class
of 2014 was infielder Jhoan Urena
who was a Florida State League
All Star while playing for Single-A
St. Lucie. Urena batted .282 with 11
home runs along with 17 stolen bases.
Additionally, he led the league with
129 hits, 34 doubles and 72 runs scored.
For the Mets, the Sterling Award
is often a fast track ticket up to the
major leagues and a strong indicator
of who the Mets are likely to bring
up to Citi Field as seen by two of this
year’s award winners – shortstop
Amed Rosario and first baseman
Dominic Smith.
BY MEAGHAN MCGOLDRICK
MMCGOLDRICK@BROOKLYNREPORTER.COM
The Eaton family’s quest for solace
has inspired a worldwide
community for those dealing
with Multiple Hereditary Exostoses
(MHE), a rare genetic bone disease
that their son Vincent was born with.
That quest has led them in the right
direction.
In 2005, together with the Ziegler
family, the Eatons founded the MHE
Research Foundation – a non-profit
organization which hosts “Funtasia,” a
bi-annual fundraiser focused on finding
a cure and honoring those doctors
and researchers working towards it.
To date, MHE – a diagnosis in which
dozens of tumors develop on a child’s
bones, causing severe pain, limitation
of movement, shortening of the limbs
and other complications – can only be
remedied by surgery to remove the
tumors and try and lessen pain.
Vincent, now 22, has had over 35
surgeries to remove over 50 tumors –
some of them the size of a baseball – on
top of bone cancer at the age of 15. He
was diagnosed with MHE at just seven
months old.
And so, on Sunday, September 17, the
Eaton family hosted its seventh annual
“Funtasia,” an evening of recognition
and celebration that Vincent's mother
Susan lauded as the “best one yet.”
At the event, held at the El Caribe,
5945 Strickland Avenue, Susan and
her husband, Craig, announced that,
after 12 years of hard work, fundraising
and continued research, the MHE
Foundation – together with researchers
and Clementia Pharmaceuticals
– are in the beginning stages of a drug
trial for Paloveretene, which they
hope will result in a better treatment
that could potentially represent a cure.
“This is truly a major step and very
promising for future generations of
children whose families have MHE,”
said Susan, thanking all of those who
have supported the foundation, and
Funtasia specifically, for being a part
of the “magic” and the “cure.” “It is our
hope and joy for children with MHE to
lead a better quality of life and enjoy
their childhood. It is only through the
support of our wonderful family and
friends that believe in us and support
our mission.”
With this new adventure afoot
and another successful fundraiser
under their belts, the Eatons are full
of excitement.
“The clinical research being conducted
is a dream come true for me
and others suffering with MHE,” said
Vincent, who, by sharing his story, has
created a legacy for what his father
calls an “orphan disease.”
“Our foundation is a grassroots
organization and MHE is an ‘orphan
disease’ due to lack of knowledge of it
among the general public,” Craig said.
“There are no national spokesmen,
actors, actresses or sports celebrities
aiding us to find a cure.”
The MHE Foundation’s success (and
this exciting first step towards longterm
treatment), Susan stressed, is
just the beginning for Vincent – and
countless others.
“When Vincent was diagnosed 22
years ago, we felt like he was the only
one with MHE,” Susan said. “Thanks
to social media, people with MHE
today are able to connect, help each
other and share their stories through
Facebook and other websites.”
When it comes to her family’s story,
she said, “We are blessed to have the
best people in our lives and look forward
to the day that we can all stand
together and say that MHE is a thing
of the past.”
For more information, please contact
Susan at mhefuntasia@gmail.com
or visit www.mherf.org.
The Eatons have lived in Bay Ridge
since 1994.
Photo by George Napolitano
This season’s 2017 New York Mets minor league Sterling
Award winners.
The Eaton family at Funtasia.