He may be at home on screen at Seattle Grace Hospital, but on Tuesday Patrick Dempsey made a special appearance at the Central Maine Medical Center, to announce plans for a new cancer center to be named in his honor.
Scheduled to open March 31, the Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope & Healing was inspired by his mother, Amanda Dempsey, who fought ovarian cancer – and who is now cancer free, reports Maine's Kennebec Journal.
Born in Lewiston, Maine, the Grey's Anatomy star told assembled media that dealing with his mother's illness – and tracking down information about it – prompted his action.
"For a family to get a cancer diagnosis is devastating, and all the information out there can be overwhelming," Dempsey, 42, told reporters. "So I talked to my sister about a place where people could go for all this type of information and help. Knowledge is power."
Dempsey says his sister, Mary, who works at the hospital, will run the center.