From the time his wife Connie had given birth to twins Mary and Colleen on March 3, 1974, he had been a frequent visitor of the hospital. The twins were pre-mature, and Mary suffered from liver and heart complications. Over time, she would persevere through four different surgeries.
In late 2008, Mary was next in line for a liver transplant at Cardinal-Glennon. For the McDermotts, perhaps Mary’s long ordeal would be solved.
God had other plans. On Dec. 21, 2008, Mary McDermott, 24, passed away of heart complications, though her exact cause of death is unknown.
For Bill, a place of healing became a place of mourning. His beloved daughter, who inspired all she met, was tragically gone. A courageous, competitive and gentle fighter had come up just short. There would be no more soccer games for Mary.
In her death, Bill – “Mr. Soccer” as he is fondly known in the St. Louis community – found the gift of giving. He set up a foundation to celebrate Mary’s life and give back to the hospital that gave his family so much. His goal: Raise enough money to fund a hybrid cardiac cauterization suite at Cardinal-Glennon.
The suite would give doctors the ability to perform complex heart surgeries in very small infants without the need for bypass, a tricky procedure to perform in the early days of life. Studies show that early intervention provided by such a suite greatly increases the likelihood that the child lives a normal, cardiac disease-free life.
This year, the SLU soccer community will give back to a man that has given so much to them. The Billikens will take on long-time rival SIU-Edwardsville on Saturday, April 9, at Robert R. Hermann Stadium at 7 p.m.
The game is free for students.
“We don’t get enough opportunities to do things for other people,” SLU head coach Mike McGinty said. “Any time we can help one of our alumni in Bill and honor his daughter’s memory, we’re going to take that opportunity. This game ended up being a fantastic way for our kids and program to help out someone we care deeply about.”
McDermott said he originally heard of a proposed charity match between SLU and SIU-E at an annual Billikens’ Soccer Club meeting where McGinty was speaking. Following the meeting, he approached the coach and suggested the funds be sent directly to the Mary McDermott Cardiac Cauterization Suite.
McGinty had no doubts. Neither did SIUE head coach Kevin Kalish, an All-American who graduated from SLU in 1999 and was named to the SLU Hall of Fame in 2007. Complete proceeds from the match will be donated to McDermott’s foundation.
“My family and I are looking for any and all ways to keep Mary’s memory alive,” McDermott said. “Any type of awareness [we can generate], we are going to take that opportunity and give her presence in other people’s lives.”
“There are bigger things going on here that we are excited about. This is not just a soccer game.”
In addition to being a good cause, the spring exhibition game revives a rivalry between two historic soccer programs. SLU owns a record 10 NCAA championships, while SIUE has two NCAA titles. The squads played each other regularly in the 1970s and 1980s in a series called the “Bronze Boot,” which was immensely popular among St. Louis soccer fans. In fact, a game between SLU and SIUE in 1980 drew 22,512 fans to Busch Memorial Stadium, an NCAA attendance record that still stands.
The match will pit former teammates against former teammates, friends against friends.
“We’ve been waiting for this game for a long time,” SLU forward Mike Roach, a St. Louis native, said. “I know the majority of the team. I have a bunch of buddies on the team that I talk to all the time. We’re just excited to have them on the schedule again. It’s been such a big game in the past, so this is exciting for the people of St. Louis.”
Kalish, who experienced the fierce rivalry in the late-90s, said putting friends against each other adds to the fun and excitement of the match.
“Any time a lot of St. Louis guys play a lot of St. Louis guys, it has more of a meaning to it,” Kalish said. “They grew up playing together locally … so it’s a fun game, a rivalry game.”
Of course, in spite of the emotions surrounding the game, there is still soccer to be played. McGinty said he has a series of goals for his team to work on this spring and will not excuse this game because of the excitement built up around it. He is also not worried about beating SIUE.
“If we play well, then the result should take care of itself,” McGinty said. “But it’s not the main focus for us right now. Right now, we are trying to get better for next year and use this game to make us better. My main focus is: Are we getting better?”
Regardless of the result, both programs hope to inspire and impact lives of others. Both teams hope to channel the fighting spirit of Mary McDermott and the passion of her father Bill on the field to bring a new ray of hope for other infants suffering from heart defections at birth.
Bill McDermott made history by being the first soccer reporter for ESPN. Now, he hopes the life and spirit of his daughter will allow for Cardinal-Glennon to make history by being the first hospital in the Midwest to have a hybrid cardiac cauterization clinic.
