Why Derek and David Carr decided to expand partnership with hospitals in Bakersfield

Derek Carr and David Carr were back home in Bakersfield on Friday to expand their care for others.

Dignity Health Mercy & Memorial Hospitals in Bakersfield announced that the brothers will become its spokesmen.

David Carr came out of Bakersfield to Fresno State and then onto the national stage as the No. 1 pick in the 2002 NFL draft. David is back in Bakersfield where his interests including a training facility. He also serves as an NFL Network analyst.

Derek Carr played his senior year of high school at Bakersfield Christian, then was a star at Fresno State. He’s heading into his fourth season leading the Oakland Raiders.

Derek’s son, Dallas, was born in Clovis in August 2013, but was rushed to Valley Children’s Hospital for emergency surgery for an intestinal complication. Dallas ended up having three surgeries and staying in the neonatal intensive care unit for more than three weeks.

Derek became a spokesman for Valley Children’s in 2015 and has appeared in billboard and print ads and commercials for the hospital. He started the DC4KIDS fund to ensure pediatric patients get access to the highest level of care available.

“When we approached with the opportunity to partner with Valley Children’s, it was a no-brainer,” Derek Carr said Friday in Bakersfield. “It’s family to me. I’ll do anything for them because they helped saved my son’s life. I know the work that’s been done here, and I know the work Dignity Health has done. I’m so excited to be a part of that because anything that can help comfort a family, anything that can help comfort a child, anything that can raise their spirits just a little bit … we go around all the time at Valley Children’s signing autographs, just being there for people.”

Just last month, Carr was in Modesto to help break ground on a new $30 million Valley Children’s specialty care center.

It will be more of the same for the ex-Fresno State stars with Dignity.

“This is very near and dear to my heart,” said David Carr, who acknowledged that he’s a Type I Diabetic, along with his three children. “I’m truly blessed to be a partner with them. I’m super excited about it.”

Said Derek Carr: “I am excited to expand this relationship, not only in Madera or Fresno, but all the way down here in Bakersfield. This is home to us. Like my brother said: We are honored that they would even come to us and ask us that they think we would be capable people to be spokespeople and be partners with them. That means the world to us. We just look forward to making many families happy and smile and giving them the best care possible.”

This story was originally published June 16, 2017 at 5:54 PM with the headline "Why Derek and David Carr decided to expand partnership with hospitals in Bakersfield."