Robert Kraft claims sickle cell disease would have been cured if it was disorder for ‘white people’
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New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft claims a cure for sickle cell disease would have been found if it were a condition for “white people”… while donating $50 million to Massachusetts General Hospital to try to improve health equity
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New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft has donated $50 million to Massachusetts General Hospital.
The purpose of the donation was to help fund research into sickle cell disease and try to improve health, as he claimed a cure would have been found if it affected “white people.”
Sickle cell disease is a blood disease that primarily affects the black community.
“If this was a disease for whites, I think the cure would have been found by now,” Kraft said in an interview with Front Office Sports.
“I think it’s up to people like myself to try to do what we can to help.”
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft looks ahead during pregame against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on October 02, 2022 in Green Bay, Wisconsin
He has donated $50 million to Massachusetts General Hospital to try to improve health equity
All in all, Kraft has donated more than $75 million since 2010, a year before his late wife Myra died of ovarian cancer. The couple pictured in 2006
The donation will fund a permanent chair of diversity, equality and inclusion in the hospital, something Kraft hopes will be rolled out nationwide.
It is the largest contribution ever made to Massachusetts General to focus specifically on health equity.
The pledge is also the most generous from an owner in any sport to try to address racial disparities in medical care.
All in all, Kraft has donated more than $75 million since 2010, a year before his late wife Myra died of ovarian cancer.
His donations have set up the Kraft Center for Community Health, which includes a mobile health care program that provides health and addiction services.
“I knew how lucky we were to have access to healthcare, and then I became aware of the inequalities in the system,” added Kraft, whose Patriots have won six Super Bowls under his ownership.
“This is the largest country in the world. We have to do better.
“I thought about the stories I heard in the locker room, and then we started downtown.”
Sickle cell disease is the umbrella term for a group of inherited disorders that severely affect red blood cells.
Patients are not expected to live past the age of 60 and treatment is primarily aimed at relieving symptoms, such as pain and infections, through blood transfusions and painkillers.
“Robert Kraft and the Kraft family are creating important avenues for patients with sickle cell disease to receive comprehensive medical care that has not been traditionally available to them,” said Dr. Joseph Betancourt, senior VP of equities and community health at Massachusetts General, said in a statement.
“I am grateful to the Kraft family for their long-standing commitment to improving access to health care and outcomes for patients and residents of our community.”
Kraft stands next to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell celebrates with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after winning Super Bowl LIII. Patriots have won six Super Bowls under his ownership
Kraft’s Patriots celebrate the second half of Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions