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'I Know a Superhero' Family Fun Festival Coming to Mount Greenwood

By Howard Ludwig | August 20, 2015 7:56am
 David
David "SuperDad" Dioguardi, a former Morgan Park resident, is the inspiration for the upcoming "I Know a Superhero" Family Fun Festival in Mount Greenwood.
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MOUNT GREENWOOD — The Mesothelioma Heroes Foundation will hold its second annual “I Know a Superhero” Family Fun Festival on Saturday in Mount Greenwood.

The fundraiser runs from 2-10 p.m. at the ball fields for both Mount Greenwood Park and St. Christina Catholic School. The adjacent fields are on the southwest corner of 111th Street and Central Park Avenue.

Proceeds from the event benefit the mesothelioma program at the University of Chicago Hospital in Hyde Park and the California-based Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization.

Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer affecting the membrane lining of the lungs and abdomen. Exposure to asbestos is the primary cause and risk factor for the disease.

David “SuperDad” Dioguardi, a former Morgan Park resident, is the inspiration for the upcoming fundraiser. A father of nine, Dioguardi was diagnosed with mesothelioma on Sept. 14, 2011.

Dioguardi worked for the Chicago Police Department for 28 years. He then went on to work for the Cook County Sheriff's Office for roughly 15 years.

His oldest daughter gave him a Superman cape as he battled the disease, earning him the nickname "SuperDad."

Dioguardi was initially told he had a few months to live. But he beat the odds after undergoing a successful surgery at the University of Chicago on Oct. 31, 2011. The surgery was followed by chemotherapy, and Dioguardi is doing well.

His family hopes the event will raise awareness about mesothelioma as well as raise funds to help others achieve similar outcomes.

“We were concerned that there were other families like ours who were dealing with mesothelioma and were not aware of the new and emerging treatment options,” said Domani Tripam, one of Dioguardi’s daughters. “We wanted to do something to change that.”

The family fun festival will include both softball and beanbag tournaments. The hosts will also have a superhero costume contest and reptile show courtesy of the Chicago Herpetological Society.

Tickets to the upcoming festival can be bought online. Tickets cost $10 in advance and $15 on the day of the event. It costs $5 for children 12 and younger to attend the festival. Each adult admission also includes a chance to win a cash prize.

For more information about the “I Know a Superhero” Family Fun Festival, visit www.mesoheroes.org.

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