Jack Urban, held in his father’s arm by the Kettleers dugout, threw the first pitch via his mother, Molly, to much applause from the fans. After all, the first pitch made for a good cause.
The Jack Richard Urban Foundation raises awareness and money for people with Non-Ketotic Hyperglycinemia (NKH). It was founded by his parents, Joseph and Molly, to help research a cure and find better therapy for those who have NKH. They host events throughout the year in Massachusetts, such as a Rowathon and a St. Patrick's-themed function.
According to the foundation’s website, “Non-Ketotic Hyperglycinemia, or NKH for short, is a rare genetic metabolic disorder that makes processing the amino acid glycine very difficult. Typically, a body breaks down glycine naturally, but kids with NKH cannot break down the amino acid as quickly as the body produces it, and a build-up occurs.”
Joseph and Molly were inspired to start the foundation in 2023 for Jack.
“Jack is our first child, and as any parent would say, we obviously love him dearly,” Molly Urban said. “Him having any ounce of pain or difficulty is something that we desperately want to take away, and we feel like this is our way to take control of something that’s very out of our control.”
The foundation has been very involved in raising awareness about NKH. The main places that research NKH are at the University of Notre Dame and the University of Colorado, but there is no cure. Pharmaceutical companies don’t want to research NKH because it is not profitable as the mortality rate at birth is high, and there are only 500 children with NKH in the world.
“We are connected with other families throughout the world,” Urban said. “Last year, we had a discussion with the FDA regarding NKH and explained the disease to them in hopes that someday there may be some therapies that go before them that hopefully they can push through, which would be better for all our kids.”
Jack’s grandfather, Rich Urban, reached out to the Kettleers last January for a possible event at a game. Inspired by Rich's words, they agreed to host an event.
“It was such a profound message that he had about the foundation and about his grandson,” Kettleers secretary Cheryl McPhillips said. “And how little attention is paid to these niche illnesses that children have that we couldn’t not.”
“We’re big Cape League fans and we vacation on the Cape every year,” Urban said when asked about why they chose to have an event in Cotuit. “We’re not far away in Norwell, Massachusetts, so we feel very connected to this area. It’s another opportunity to raise awareness and share a little bit about Jack and his condition.”
To find out more about the Jack Richard Urban Foundation, click here. They also have a Facebook and Instagram page where they post updates.
