Bernie raising awareness for IPF

DENVER -- Bernie Williams attended five All-Star Games as a player, but this year’s trip to the Midsummer Classic may have been his most meaningful.

Williams, who has been retired for nearly 15 years, was in Denver to help raise awareness for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a rare and serious lung disease that took the life of his father, Bernabé, 20 years ago.

“I think one of the hardest things for a player when they retire is to find something that they can pour their heart and soul into,” Williams said. “Baseball is all about pouring your heart and soul into it; you have no choice -- at least I didn't if I wanted to be successful, I needed to be 100 percent in. When I retired, it was like, ‘OK, where am I going to pour my heart and soul into now?’”

Williams was approached in 2017 by Boehringer Ingelheim, a pharmaceutical company, to launch a campaign called “Breathless” in order to raise awareness for IPF. Williams spent a few years traveling to a number of Major and Minor League stadiums, showcasing his music while spreading the word about IPF.

“Everybody knows about Lou Gehrig’s Disease, but not a lot of people know about IPF,” Williams said. “We have been spending the last four years utilizing the platform that Major League Baseball has given me to raise awareness about this. It has been great; from a personal standpoint, it has sort of given me the opportunity to bring closure to this process.

“My father died in 2001; I still had five years left in my baseball career, so I never really had an opportunity to bring closure to it, because baseball is all about the next at-bat. You put all that stuff on the back burner, but it was always creeping up on me. In the middle of the night, I would wake up sobbing. Up until four years ago, I never really had an opportunity to confront this. When I was approached to do this campaign, I was like, ‘Whoa.’ All the emotions, all those feelings, they came back at me like a tsunami.”

Williams has spent time speaking with doctors and families dealing with IPF, sharing his story while listening to those of people impacted by the disease.

“I was one of those family members dealing with my father's process,” Williams said. “When I tell my story, they can relate to it so much. It always brings a tear to my eye; it's a very emotional thing. That process has healed me in a way.”

Williams spent much of the week in Denver at a booth at MLB’s Play Ball Park, meeting and greeting fans while spreading the word about IPF. Topps even issued a special card in honor of the campaign that was distributed at the event.

In addition to raising awareness for the disease, the campaign has allowed Williams to honor his father, who would speak with him after every game to offer advice -- about baseball and otherwise -- to his All-Star son.

“Even like 10 or 15 years into the big leagues, he was always trying to get me not to swing at the high ones,” said Williams with a laugh. “It gave me this bond and connection with him that I had through his whole life. It was really hard to see him go, but the way he took his disease, he never complained. He remained optimistic and fought until literally his last breath. He was a great example for me to live by.”

When the pandemic halted Williams’ stadium visits, he and Boehringer Ingelheim came up with the “Breathless Ballad Challenge,” giving people a chance to pen lyrics to Williams’ “Para Don Berna,” an instrumental song he wrote to honor his father nearly 20 years ago. More than 75 entries were received, each judged by a panel that included Queen Latifah, the Bacon Brothers and Paul Shaffer, among other celebrity judges.

Williams’ No. 51 hangs in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium, while his baseball résumé includes five All-Star appearances, four World Series rings, the 1998 American League batting title and the 1996 ALCS MVP Award. But this second act has been even more significant for Williams, giving him an opportunity to use his name to promote a cause near and dear to him.

“There's something really special about supporting something that really touches your heart,” Williams said. “IPF and the Breathless campaign has done that for me the past four years and, hopefully, it will continue. Doing the ex-Yankee thing, it’s always good to be remembered, but turning the page into what you can do to make your life meaningful, this is definitely one of those things in my life right now that I’m feeling that purpose.”