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Anchorage Bucs founder, and GM, Dennis Mattingly is in the middle of trying to raise enough money to help him receive a lifesaving stem cell transplant. This summer his bone cancer, called multiple myeloma, returned.
Mattingly is best known as one of the men credited with bringing Anchorage professional baseball. But a deeper look into his life reveals how financially devastating this second bone cancer recurrence has been.
Now, Mattingly is literally fundraising to save his life.
Then, insult to injury. Mattingly learned a con artist had taken advantage of his lifesaving cause. Trying to scam you out of money while using Mattingly's good name.
"He's a low life. He's the scum of the earth," says Mattingly. “And use my name and my cause to do it, you know it really irritates me.”
By December 3, Mattingly needs $127,000 so he can make a stem cell treatment down payment to a Seattle hospital. He hopes that will keep him living for a long time.
Right now, he is not even halfway to reaching his goal. “I'm kind of a proud guy,” Mattingly says. “I don't like to ask for those things for myself.”
But Mattingly has no choice. Recently he and his wife lost their stock
“It's just unbelievable,” Mattingly says. “It's undoable for me. Even if I do get help, I just can't afford it.”
That is why the Mattingly's set up two bank accounts for donations. Anchorage Police Crime Specialist Anita Shell says, “Now this con artist or scammer, if you will, is making phone calls to different business. The rouse is they're acting on behalf of these people to try to get money.”
“So if they get a call that someone from the Bucs office is calling them, that's not so. We're not doing that,” Mattingly says.
What Dennis Mattingly is doing is humbly asking you to help him beat the bad guys, and his cancer, with a simple donation to make his transplant reality. Mattingly says, “They said so far the longest person they've had out is 10 years before they've had to come back. Well maybe I might be that guy.”
Police say, especially this time of year, with so many people asking for help use this as a warning to verify where your donations are going.
If you have any information on who is behind this scam call APD at 786-8900, or Anchorage Crimestoppers at 561-STOP.
There are several ways you can make donations in Dennis Mattingly's name:
1. First National Bank Alaska: the "Bucs" account.
2. Alaska USA Federal Credit Union: under his wife "Sandy Mattingly's" account.
3. Lake Otis Elementary spaghetti feed and fundraising auction; Saturday from 5:00 - 9:00 PM; Suggested donations are $20 for adults and $5 for children.
4. Center Bowl Tournament; Sunday from Noon-2:00 PM; Suggested donations of $25 per person.
To contact the Newsroom, call 907-274-1111.
